Election Day (after the Election Day)

The old Frenchman says:

"There are things which are of political relevance and others which are of symbolic meaning. Do not confuse things. This victory is a fact but it is not (yet) a political event. Enjoy its symbolics. Don't trust the state. And concerning politics, rely on yourself and on collective actions."

This is what the old Frenchman said. He quoted another old (even older) Frenchman who had said: "Any action of the state is a dog." But maybe I did not understand it correctly.