Letter to William Ewart Gladstone (21 November 1891), quoted in J. N. Figgis and R. V. Laurence (eds.), Selections from the Correspondence of the First Lord Acton, Vol. I (1917), p. 257
“
[I]t will not do to act as if the moral question was not the supreme question in public life, and, in a sense, the vera causa of party conflict.
— John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "[I]t will not do to act as if the moral question was not the supreme question in public life, and, in a sense, the vera causa of party conflict." in the context of "Letter to William Ewart Gladstone (21 November 1891), quoted in J. N. Figgis and R. V. Laurence (eds.), Selections from the Correspondence of the First Lord Acton, Vol. I (1917), p. 257" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton" (Quotes, 1890s)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902) was an English Catholic historian, commonly known as Lord Acton.
About John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902) was an English Catholic historian, commonly known as Lord Acton.
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