Perhaps it's because I have a cold right now, but I interpreted "personal machine" to mean my body. And what is meant by "trust?" The word is really synonymous

Perhaps it's because I have a cold right now, but I interpreted "personal machine" to mean my body. And what is meant by "trust?" The word is really synonymous with "faith". That's why the correct phrase is "trust and verify". I understand that my "personal machine" - my body - is always compromised. I also have faith that no heinous actors are likely to try to compromise my body. But that is only because I am a nobody and have the good fortune to live in a safe place. As for computers, I think the same logic applies. I have faith that no nefarious actors are striving to compromise my own machine specifically. But for many high-value targets, this would be a bad assumption. Witness the crypto thefts that have occurred by hacking individual's computers. I am no expert in counter ciber espionage, but my understanding is that it boils down to a) reducing attach surface, b) using trusted hardware, and c) using ephemeral "machines".