The politician is . . . trained in the art of inexactitude. His words tend to be blunt or rounded, because if they have a cutting edge they may later return to wound him.

Murrow contrasts political speech with plain, accountable language. He suggests that politicians are professionally incentivized to avoid precision: rounded, noncommittal phrasing preserves flexibility, reduces the risk of contradiction, and limits future liability when circumstances change. The image of words with a “cutting edge” returning to “wound” their speaker frames specificity as a kind of moral and strategic hazard in public life. Implicitly, the quote defends clarity and candor—virtues Murrow associated with responsible journalism—by diagnosing why they are often absent in politics. It also anticipates modern concerns about spin and message discipline, where ambiguity can be a tool for coalition-building and deniability rather than truth-telling.