Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest of walls of oppression and resistance.
If re-elected, Mr Cardoso must seize the opportunity of Brazil's current travails to persuade Congress to sweep away the constitutional entitlements (including automatic transfers to states and municipalities) that have made government spending so tenacious.