"Education [and therefore the equal opportunity for education] then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men [and women, regardless of their initial circumstances], the balance-wheel of the social machinery. [It above all else, allows people to make the most of themselves and their dreams, for the good of all, in a free society that, by supporting individual property rights, allows, encourages and incentivises them to profit from their efforts.]"

Author: Horace Mann

Notes: (1796 - 1859), famous American lawyer, politician and then educational administrator.