Well, I think there's a distinction between sexing-up the

The words of John Major, spoken in the tempered voice of experience, carry the subtle weight of truth that only those long acquainted with power can understand: “Well, I think there’s a distinction between sexing-up the intelligence and sexing-up the presentation of the intelligence.” Within this statement lies a reflection not merely on politics, but on truth itself — on the delicate balance between substance and appearance, between reality and persuasion. Major’s insight speaks to all ages, for the temptation to embellish truth, to dress it in garments of allure, is as ancient as human speech. Yet he reminds us that there is a vast difference between making truth clearer and making it false.

In the world of statecraft — where decisions can sway nations and words can ignite wars — this distinction becomes sacred. The phrase “sexing up the intelligence” arose in the early 21st century, when governments were accused of exaggerating or dramatizing their intelligence reports to justify actions on the global stage. Major, a former prime minister himself, sought to clarify that while presentation can sharpen understanding, to “sex up” the intelligence itself — to distort facts for effect — is to corrupt the very foundation of trust upon which leadership stands. To embellish the truth for beauty or persuasion may win applause for a moment, but it invites ruin in time.

The ancients knew this well. Consider the historian Thucydides, who chronicled the Peloponnesian War with brutal honesty. He refused to “sex up” his accounts to please Athens or Sparta, though both sides would have welcomed flattering versions of their deeds. “My history,” he said, “is written for all time.” In this, he lived the very distinction Major describes — for Thucydides shaped his presentation with art and power, but he never altered the intelligence itself. His truth stood naked and enduring, unadorned by rhetoric, for he knew that truth beautified by lies is no truth at all.

How easy it is, in every age, to confuse clarity with manipulation! The teacher who softens a hard lesson to please her pupils, the journalist who heightens drama to capture attention, the leader who magnifies danger to unite a people — all walk the knife’s edge between communication and deceit. Major’s words remind us that intention is everything. To “sex up the presentation” is to illuminate truth so it may be seen more clearly; to “sex up the intelligence” is to blind the world with the glitter of fabrication. One is the art of the wise; the other, the trick of the unprincipled.

In this, the story of Galileo Galilei offers a powerful mirror. When he revealed the movement of the heavens, he knew his findings would unsettle the established order. Yet he did not disguise his intelligence to make it more palatable to the Church — though he might have gained favor by doing so. He chose instead to let the truth stand as it was, rough and unembellished, even though it cost him his freedom. Galileo’s courage shows the eternal wisdom behind Major’s distinction: that the duty of the truth-teller is not to make the truth glamorous, but to make it understood — and to let its beauty arise from its integrity.

For in every age, truth has enemies not only in those who deny it, but in those who decorate it beyond recognition. The philosopher who flatters power, the merchant who exaggerates his wares, the leader who dramatizes his cause — all of them “sex up” the intelligence, believing that a shining falsehood will serve better than a plain truth. But the wise know that only the unvarnished truth endures. To present truth well is a service to mankind; to alter it is a betrayal of it.

Therefore, let the lesson of John Major’s words echo through your mind as through a temple: honor truth, but do not deform it in the name of persuasion. Speak clearly, but not cunningly. Seek to illuminate, not to intoxicate. In all your dealings — whether in speech, art, or leadership — strive to present truth faithfully, not flatteringly. For the world has never lacked eloquent deceivers; it has only ever hungered for honest voices. To “sex up the presentation” may win the crowd’s attention, but to preserve the purity of intelligence wins the judgment of eternity.

And so, remember this ancient law of wisdom: the light of truth needs no adornment, only clarity. Let your words serve the truth as a lamp serves a flame — not to disguise it, but to let it shine.