--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No amount of source-level verification or…" description: "\"No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will protect you from using untrusted code.\" — Ken Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg" --- # No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will… ![“No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will protect you from using untrusted code.” quote by Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg) > “No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will protect you from using untrusted code.” [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even thorough checks can't fully shield you from risky, untrusted code. **In simple terms:** Verification isn't foolproof against untrusted code. Key Takeaway Never trust code blindly. Themes security trust verification Mood cautious serious Type advisory technical When to use this quote - system design - open source contributions - deployment pipelines Key Concepts risk management software engineering Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can you add beyond verification? - How do you balance trust and risk? A Different Perspective Verification can be costly and still miss hidden threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/code/) [Level Verification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level-verification-5966807/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Scrutiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrutiny/) [Untrusted Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untrusted-code-4963564/) [Using Untrusted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-untrusted-4963565/) [Verification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verification/) [Verification Scrutiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verification-scrutiny-5966806/) ## Related quotes > [You can't trust code that you did not totally create yourself. (Especially code from companies that employ people like me.) No amount of source-level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-p-thompson/you-can-t-trust-code-that-you-did-not-totally-create-yourself/) [Kenneth P. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-p-thompson/) > [I have great hope and faith, but it's a humanistic faith based in facts; you have to believe that facts exist. We can all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/i-have-great-hope-and-faith-but-it-s-a-humanistic-faith-based-in/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [Dreams ought to produce no conviction whatever on philosophical minds. If we consider how many dreams are dreamt every night, and how many events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/dreams-ought-to-produce-no-conviction-whatever-on-philosophical-minds/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [A hypothesis is something which looks as if it might be true and were true, and which is capable of verification or refutation by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/a-hypothesis-is-something-which-looks-as-if-it-might-be-true-and-were/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [Going on stage and doing ballet, for the first time, was even more verification of, "This is what I'm meant to do. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/going-on-stage-and-doing-ballet-for-the-first-time-was-even-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [ \[Mathematics\] unceasingly calls forth the faculties of observation and comparison; one of its principal weapons is induction: it has frequent recourse to trial and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joseph-sylvester/mathematics-unceasingly-calls-forth-the-faculties-of-observation-and/) [James Joseph Sylvester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joseph-sylvester/) > [ A prejudice may be an unreasoned judgment, he \[Hibben\] pointed out, but an unreasoned judgment is not necessarily an illogical judgment. ... First, there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/a-prejudice-may-be-an-unreasoned-judgment-he-hibben-pointed-out-but/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [One of the bigger mistakes of our time, I suppose, was preaching the demonization of all judgment without teaching how to judge righteously. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/one-of-the-bigger-mistakes-of-our-time-i-suppose-was-preaching-the/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [I think companies need to put up tools that put privacy and security in the hands of their users and make it easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cohen/i-think-companies-need-to-put-up-tools-that-put-privacy-and-security/) [Jared Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cohen/) > [Truth for us is simply a collective name for verification processes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/truth-for-us-is-simply-a-collective-name-for-verification-processes/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Agemates provide the most informative points of reference for comparative efficacy appraisal and verification. Children are, therefore, especially sensitive to their relative standing among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/agemates-provide-the-most-informative-points-of-reference-for/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [In the end, the discipline of verification is what separates journalism from entertainment, propaganda, fiction, or art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kovach/in-the-end-the-discipline-of-verification-is-what-separates/) [Bill Kovach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kovach/) > [A fact is a proposition of which the verification by an appeal to the primary sources of our knowledge or to experience is directand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/a-fact-is-a-proposition-of-which-the-verification-by-an-appeal-to-the/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [“There are no such words like "over-dreaming" or dreaming without "biometric verification". You can dream over and over again! You don't need a certificate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/there-are-no-such-words-like-over-dreaming-or-dreaming-without/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“The generalized theory of relativity has furnished still more remarkable results. This considers not only uniform but also accelerated motion. In particular, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-michelson/the-generalized-theory-of-relativity-has-furnished-still-more/) [A.A. Michelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-michelson/) ## More by Ken Thompson > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [There's a lot of power in executing data - generating data and executing data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-power-in-executing-data-generating-data-and/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One is that the perfect garden can be created overnight, which it can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-is-that-the-perfect-garden-can-be-created-overnight-which-it-can-t/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I am a programmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-am-a-programmer/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It's always good to take an orthogonal view of something. It develops ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-s-always-good-to-take-an-orthogonal-view-of-something-it-develops/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I view Linux as something that's not Microsoft - a backlash against Microsoft, no more and no less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-view-linux-as-something-that-s-not-microsoft-a-backlash-against/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-is-only-the-inadequacy-of-the-criminal-code-that-saves-the-hackers/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [Grant, if we edited Fortran, I assume that you'd put a column thing in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/grant-if-we-edited-fortran-i-assume-that-you-d-put-a-column-thing-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [If you want to go somewhere, goto is the best way to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/if-you-want-to-go-somewhere-goto-is-the-best-way-to-get-there/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I don't think there are many people up in research who have strong ideas about things that they haven't really had experience with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-don-t-think-there-are-many-people-up-in-research-who-have-strong/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [We tried to avoid, you know, records. We were told over and over that was probably the most serious mistake and the reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/we-tried-to-avoid-you-know-records-we-were-told-over-and-over-that/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [In fact, we started off with two or three different shells and the shell had life of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/in-fact-we-started-off-with-two-or-three-different-shells-and-the/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [The average gardener probably knows little about what is going on in his or her garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/the-average-gardener-probably-knows-little-about-what-is-going-on-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) [Explore all 41 Ken Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## More Amount quotes > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) [F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/) > [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/) [Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/) > [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/) [Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/) > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) [Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will protect you from using untrusted code.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/no-amount-of-source-level-verification-or-scrutiny-will-protect-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amount" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/no-amount-of-source-level-verification-or-scrutiny-will-protect-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/ken-thompson-15903_amount_no-amount-of-source-level-verification-o_3205227.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will protect you from using untrusted code.” — Ken Thompson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ken Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No amount of source-level verification or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/no-amount-of-source-level-verification-or-scrutiny-will-protect-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/no-amount-of-source-level-verification-or-scrutiny-will-protect-you/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```