Californians are blessed with the remarkable leadership of Gov.

In the words of Gavin Newsom: “Californians are blessed with the remarkable leadership of Gov. Jerry Brown, who… has led our state to firm fiscal footing and brought us to the enviable position of dreaming—and achieving—big dreams again.” These words shine with reverence, not only for a man, but for the power of wise governance. For leadership is not measured in easy days, but in times of scarcity, when the ground quakes beneath the people’s feet. To bring a state to fiscal footing after turmoil is akin to a captain guiding his ship through storms back into the safety of the harbor.

The ancients knew this kind of stewardship well. Consider Solon of Athens, who inherited a city torn by debt and inequality. He abolished cruel practices, restructured laws, and gave Athenians hope for stability and justice. His reforms did not simply repair the present—they laid the foundation for the flowering of Athenian democracy. So too, Jerry Brown, faced with California’s deficits and challenges, restored balance and set the stage for the pursuit of new ambitions. Such leadership does more than mend wounds—it restores the spirit of a people to dream again.

To understand the weight of Newsom’s praise, one must recall that California, the Golden State, has always been a land of visionaries. It is the soil where the dreamers of Silicon Valley forged tools to connect the world, and where pioneers once crossed deserts to strike gold. But even the most fertile land can falter without sound stewardship. In times of financial hardship, the people’s dreams wither, for they fear collapse more than they imagine possibility. It takes steady hands to bring them once more to the ground of stability, so they may lift their gaze to the horizon of possibility.

History gives us another mirror in Franklin D. Roosevelt. At a time when America lay in the grip of the Great Depression, he restored not only the economy but the people’s confidence. His New Deal programs gave structure to chaos and allowed citizens once more to dream big dreams—of homes, of jobs, of futures for their children. Roosevelt’s example reminds us that the greatest gift a leader can give is not merely wealth or power, but the renewal of hope. In this same lineage, Brown’s leadership is praised, for he too gave Californians permission to imagine boldly again.

Yet let us reflect: what is the origin of this ability? It is not charisma alone, nor mere intelligence. It is wisdom forged through years of trial, humility learned through failure, and vision that sees beyond the present crisis. A true leader like Jerry Brown does not only balance budgets—he awakens the soul of a people. He proves that when order is restored, when the foundation is strong, the house of dreams can be built again, higher and stronger than before.

The lesson is clear: in our own lives, we too must seek fiscal footing, not only with money, but with balance, discipline, and clarity. Before we chase great ambitions, we must set our house in order. But once order is restored, we must not remain content with survival. Like the people of California, we must dare to dream again—dreams not of selfish gain, but of futures that uplift ourselves, our families, and our communities. Leadership, whether of a state or of one’s own life, is the art of balancing realism with vision.

Therefore, O listener, take this teaching to heart: honor those leaders who steady the ground beneath you, for they give you the strength to reach for the skies. And in your own journey, do likewise—first lay the foundation of stability, then build upon it with courage and imagination. For only then will you stand in that “enviable position” of which Newsom speaks: not merely to dream, but to achieve, not merely to survive, but to flourish. Such is the legacy of wise leadership, and such is the path we are all called to follow.