"Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism"

Barry Goldwater's quote talks about the nuanced understanding of equality and its effect on society and governance. He juxtaposes two analyses of equality: one that promotes liberty and the flourishing of specific distinctions, and another that causes conformity and ultimately despotism.

In the first part of the quote, Goldwater suggests that the founding daddies viewed equality as an essential concept that enables liberty. This analysis of equality appreciates private distinctions and enables individual freedoms and creativity to grow. It recommends a society where diverse concepts and identities can coexist, contributing to a vibrant and vibrant neighborhood. The focus is on level playing field, where everybody has the liberty to pursue their own paths without unneeded restraints or impositions by the state or society.

Conversely, Goldwater cautions versus a misconception of equality that mandates uniformity. He explains that when equality is misunderstood as everybody being the same, it can reduce uniqueness and imaginative differences under the guise of fairness. This drive towards sameness can lead to conformity, stifling innovation and personal expression. Goldwater makes an effective argument that such enforced uniformity can be a precursor to despotism-- a system where power is focused in the hands of a couple of who determine how individuals ought to live, think, and act.

The broader message in Goldwater's quote is a cautionary one. It highlights the value of stabilizing equality with liberty to guarantee a complimentary and open society. By promoting for equality in the spirit of flexibility rather than sameness, he warns versus the dangers of authoritarianism that can occur when individuality is sacrificed for the sake of an illusory equity. Goldwater's perspective is a call to uphold the principles that permit a varied and complimentary society, where creative distinctions are embraced rather than gotten rid of.