“To sever the grip of corruption, Brazilians must break an unwritten law—Gerson’s law. It is an amoral and unwritten social regulation that is widely accepted: it’s okay to bribe, cheat and take advantage of every situation.

The phrase was made famous across Brazil in a TV cigarette commercial from the 1970s and 1980s, starring Gerson, a soccer player who was shown smoking a cigarette and saying, “Take advantage of every situation to get ahead.”

Now, 21 years after democracy was formally re-inaugurated in Brazil, ‘Gerson’s law’ frequently comes to mind. Each new political and financial scandal is, in effect, a consequence of this cynical axiom: take advantage of every situation to get what you want…”

The rest can be found on Global Integrity

As far as dragging yourself down when you think you are getting ahead, or in the least, not doing anything out of the ordinary, I think The Lion’s Denn said it well.