George William Russell, "Open Letter to the Masters of Dublin" (1913)
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There was autocracy in political life, and it was superseded by democracy. So surely will democratic power wrest from you the control of industry. The fate of you, the aristocracy of industry, will be as the fate of the aristocracy of land if you do not now show that you have some humanity still among you. Humanity abhors, above all things, a vacuum in itself, and your class will be cut off from humanity as the surgeon cuts the cancer and alien growth from the body. Be warned ere it is too late.

— George William Russell on Democracy

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There was autocracy in political life, and it was superseded by democracy. So surely will democratic power wrest from you the control of industry. The fate of you, the aristocracy of industry, will be as the fate of the aristocracy of land if you do not now show that you have some humanity still among you. Humanity abhors, above all things, a vacuum in itself, and your class will be cut off from humanity as the surgeon cuts the cancer and alien growth from the body. Be warned ere it is too late." in the context of "George William Russell, "Open Letter to the Masters of Dublin" (1913)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Democracy" (R) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
George William Russell

About George William Russell

George William Russell (10 April 1867 – 17 July 1935) was an Irish nationalist, critic, poet, painter and mystic who often wrote under the pseudonym "Æ."