Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed. Their mistaken course stems from false notions of equality, ladies and gentlemen. 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.


Acceptance Speech as the Republican Presidential candidate, San Francisco (July 1964)

Goldwater Speech[washingtonpost.com]

Barry Goldwater Quotes

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version...

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version...

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version...

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version...