August 9, 2025

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink.

George Orwell (1903–1950), English novelist, Shooting an Elephant (1950), ‘Politics and the English Language’, Jay p.279

What’s your sincerity quotient? Are you generally considered trustworthy? If not, can you find common ground on specific issues with some groups who would appreciate your support? If you can, you must underscore that commonality as much as possible.

Lots of cuttlefish on the move whenever politicians get together in public.