To what was douglass referring when he wrote 'from that moment, i understood the pathway from slavery to freedom. it was just what i wanted, and i got it at a time when i the least expected it'?

Douglas referred that he understood the pathway from slavery to freedom is education. It freed him from the belief that the black are born to be slaves. This gave him hope, which was given to him by his kind master. He didn't know and he did not expect that before his education with his master end, he already had what he needed to go through.