“I soon saw that feminists who supported the “Primary Parent Theory” were not in favor of equality of opportunity, but of unequal opportunism.”

Speech in the House of Commons (24 November 1976) http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/103146 <br class="br">Leader of the Opposition <br class="br">Context: The word “equality” is often used, but, wisely, rarely defined. The moment one tries to define it, one gets into great difficulty. For example, it cannot mean equality of incomes or earnings; otherwise, we would not need more than one union. Indeed, we would not need one union. If we are to have opportunity, we cannot have equality, because the two are opposite. We may have equality of opportunity, but if the only opportunity is to be equal, it is not opportunity.

Interview by Marianne Schnall http://kathynajimy.com/inteview.htm

Source: Father and Child Reunion (2001), p. 167.

Interview, 18 March 2002

The Devil's Dictionary (1911)

Source: Father and Child Reunion (2001), p. 197.

1910s, The New Nationalism (1910)
Context: Practical equality of opportunity for all citizens, when we achieve it, will have two great results. First, every man will have a fair chance to make of himself all that in him lies; to reach the highest point to which his capacities, unassisted by special privilege of his own and unhampered by the special privilege of others, can carry him, and to get for himself and his family substantially what he has earned. Second, equality of opportunity means that the commonwealth will get from every citizen the highest service of which he is capable. No man who carries the burden of the special privileges of another can give to the commonwealth that service to which it is fairly entitled.

Rocky Mountain News column, 2000

1970s, Two Cheers for Capitalism (1978)