From an incredibly kick-ass book by Eric Flint
and David Drake. The book is titled "In the Heart of Darkness", and is the
second in the Belisarius series. Highly recommended for all sci-fi fans,
even if you normally hate Drake, since he's only there to give
name-recognition, the writing is all Flint. Anyhoo, the quote:
"The plans and schemes of tyrants are broken by many things. They shatter against cliffs of heroic struggle. They rupture on reefs of open resistance. And they are slowly eroded, bit by little bit, on the very beaches where they measure triumph, by countless grains of sand. By the stubborn little decencies of humble little men."Even if individual battles (like the farcical case against Henson) are lost, the (purely metaphorical) war can still be won. And it will be won by the little things, that the would-be tyrants cannot anticipate, and won't even notice till it's far too late. Sleep well, CoS. :-)