Saramago, Halaman 113

The newspapers must be read, of course, but that is not enough, you must see with your own eyes the roads, the ports, the schools. the public works everywhere, and the atmosphere of discipline, my dear fellow, the calm on the streets and in people's hearts, an entire nation dedicated to honest labor labor under the leadership of a great statesman, truly an iron hand in a velvet glove, precisely what we needed.

Saramago, José, The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (diterjemahkan Giovanni Pontiero), New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1991, p.113