You never monkey with the truth.

Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of The Washington Post during the Watergate era, once gave the world a line as blunt as it is timeless: “You never monkey with the truth.” In these words, there is the voice of a man who knew that trust, once broken, can never be fully restored, and that truth, once tampered with, loses its power to guide. To “monkey” with something is to toy with it, to tamper, to twist. Bradlee’s command is clear: truth must never be toyed with, for it is sacred, and when it is corrupted, the very foundation of society trembles.

The origin of this saying lies in the high-stakes world of journalism where Bradlee lived and breathed. As editor during the Watergate scandal, he shepherded the reporting of Woodward and Bernstein, who pursued facts at great personal and professional risk. Bradlee knew the temptation that arises when the world is hungry for news: the temptation to embellish, to exaggerate, to “monkey” with details in order to make a story stronger. But he also knew that only the unvarnished truth carries the authority to change nations. A falsehood, even a small one, would have destroyed the credibility of the Post and left corruption in power.

History bears witness to the strength of Bradlee’s conviction. The uncovering of Watergate was not accomplished by rumors or speculation, but by painstaking work rooted in verified facts. Had Bradlee allowed his reporters to bend the truth, even slightly, their entire investigation could have been discredited. Instead, by refusing to tamper, he preserved the power of truth to hold the most powerful man in the world accountable. And so a president resigned, not because of rumor, but because facts, carefully guarded, spoke with unanswerable force.

Yet Bradlee’s warning is not for journalists alone—it is for all humankind. How often are we tempted to “monkey” with the truth in small ways? To soften it to spare feelings, to stretch it to impress others, to twist it for personal gain. Each time, we weaken the very force that sustains trust. Families collapse when truth is twisted. Friendships wither when truth is withheld. Nations falter when truth is sacrificed for power. The lesson is eternal: tamper with truth, and you tamper with the lifeblood of human dignity.

There is also a heroic courage in Bradlee’s words. To refuse to “monkey” with the truth often means to walk the harder path. Truth may offend, truth may isolate, truth may place one in conflict with the powerful. Yet to compromise it, even slightly, is to surrender the one weapon that can never be broken. It is better to be wounded by truth than to be comforted by lies. For lies are brittle and fleeting, but truth, unaltered, endures like stone.

The lesson for us is clear: guard truth with vigilance, and do not tamper with it, even for advantage or ease. Speak plainly, without embellishment. When tempted to twist facts for profit, resist. When tempted to hide truth to protect yourself, remember that what you preserve in the moment you will lose a thousandfold later. The strength of your word, the trust others place in you, and the clarity of your own conscience depend on your refusal to “monkey” with the truth.

Practically, this means cultivating habits of honesty in every corner of life. In your speech, let yes be yes and no be no. In your work, let integrity guide you more than ambition. In your relationships, let truth, even when painful, be the foundation, for only then can love endure. And in your heart, commit to living not as one who toys with reality, but as one who reveres it.

Thus, Bradlee’s saying lives on not only as a journalist’s creed but as a universal command: you never monkey with the truth. For truth is the pillar upon which trust rests, and without trust, neither love nor justice nor freedom can stand. Let us then hold to truth with both hands, unshaken, so that our lives, our communities, and our nations may endure in light rather than crumble in the shadows of deception.