Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message

Allen West’s words strike like a trumpet blast against complacency: “Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else.” This is not the quiet speech of a philosopher in retreat but the fiery cry of one who fears that the flame of liberty may be smothered by false promises. In this declaration, West draws a line between what he sees as true freedom and the dangers of systems that dull the hunger of human ambition. He exalts the individual will as sacred, and he warns against any force that would trade independence for comfort.

The first point he raises is equality of achievement. To the unthinking ear, this may sound noble—should not all enjoy the same success? Yet West denounces it as a false idol. For equality of opportunity is just, but equality of outcome, enforced by law or power, is unnatural, for it denies the diversity of human will, talent, and effort. The ancients spoke of this too: Plato himself warned that when rulers try to make all things equal, they risk destroying the excellence of the few and the striving of the many. True greatness comes not when all are leveled, but when each is free to climb as far as courage and labor will carry them.

The second shadow he names is economic dependency. For dependency, though it may soothe the body for a time, chains the spirit in ways more terrible than hunger. History is filled with rulers who purchased obedience by giving bread but demanded loyalty in return. The Roman Empire pacified its restless masses with “bread and circuses,” dulling the sharp edge of their independence. Yet in time, this dependency hollowed the strength of the people, leaving them weak when true challenge came. West warns in the same spirit: a people who forget how to labor, invent, and risk will one day find themselves rich in comfort but poor in freedom.

Most forcefully, he speaks of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit. Here, his words lift to their most heroic tone. The entrepreneurial spirit is the daring that drives humanity forward—the courage of the sailor who crosses uncharted seas, the blacksmith who crafts a new tool, the dreamer who builds a city where there was only wilderness. To enslave such spirit is to shackle humanity itself. Consider the story of Andrew Carnegie, born in poverty in Scotland, who came to America with nothing but determination. Through risk, labor, and ingenuity, he rose to build one of the greatest industries of his time, later devoting his wealth to libraries and education. Had his will been restrained by enforced sameness, his achievements—and the millions they touched—would never have come.

The origin of West’s conviction lies in the heart of the American experiment. The founders, though flawed, sought to craft a republic where individuals might be free to rise, not bound by aristocracy or monarchy. Their vision was not of guaranteed outcomes but of guaranteed liberty—the soil in which ambition, talent, and perseverance might bear fruit. West’s warning is that when society forgets this founding principle, when it begins to demand equal harvests instead of equal seeds, it betrays the spirit of its own creation.

The lesson, then, is as sharp as it is enduring: guard your independence. Cherish equality of opportunity, but beware those who promise equality of achievement, for they rob both the strong and the weak of dignity. Resist the seduction of dependency, for it weakens the will. Protect your spirit of enterprise, for it is the engine of progress. The ancients taught that freedom is a hard master, demanding sacrifice and courage, but it is the only soil where true greatness can grow.

Therefore, let each who hears these words act with resolve. Labor with your own hands. Create with your own mind. Encourage risk and reward, not complacency and entitlement. Teach your children that freedom is not the absence of hardship, but the presence of opportunity. For if the flame of the entrepreneurial spirit is kept alive, then a people remain strong, inventive, and unbroken. But if it is smothered by dependency and false equality, then the light of liberty will dim, and the age of greatness will fade.

Thus, Allen West’s words are not merely political—they are timeless. They echo the wisdom of history and the warnings of the ancients: that freedom is fragile, and must be defended not only on battlefields but in the marketplace, in the home, and in the heart. If we honor his warning, then the spirit of liberty will endure, fierce and unchained, a beacon for generations to come.