Sometimes wickedness prevails

 The succinct words echoed in Mma Ramotswe's ears. It was probably true--there were times when wickedness seemed to be so firmly entrenched that any attempt to dislodge it, and rebellion against it, appeared futile. That had happened; many people had led their whole lives under the shadow of wickedness in its manifold guises--under oppression or injustice, under the rule of some grubby tyranny. And yet people often managed to overcome the things that held them down because they refused to believe that they could not do anything about it, and acted as if they could do something. It had happened before and it would happen again. In her short career as a private detective, Mma Ramotswe had encountered relatively few instances of evil, but she had seen some, and in each case she had seen the wings of wickedness clipped.

-Alexander McCall Smith, The Double Comfort Safari Club

Now look here, people. I am well aware that you can level charges of Pollyannaishness at me for quoting that.  The evil of the Republican Party is just...well, we all know what it is.  But THE FACT IS, I encountered this quote as I was reading the book for some escapism after the murder bill (or, as we sometimes call it, the Death To America Act) had passed, and I choose to believe, only semi-ironically, that this is a message from the universe.  In any case, I DO think "and yet people often managed to overcome the things that held them down because they refused to believe that they could not do anything about it, and acted as if they could do something" is...well, true.  Things are worse now than they've been in the lifetimes of most people, but...I dunno.  Also, I think one of the best things we could do would be to consistently refer to Trump as a "grubby tyrant."  It does a good job of conveying what a small, worthless man he is.