The first panacea for a misguided nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.

Summary

This quote expresses the idea that in a misguided nation, two popular yet harmful actions are often taken as solutions. The first is inflating the currency, which may create a temporary appearance of prosperity but ultimately leads to ruin. The second is engaging in war, which also provides a short-term boost but has long-lasting negative consequences. Both of these strategies are seen as opportunistic moves by politicians and economic actors, taking advantage of the situation for their own gain at the expense of the nation's future wellbeing.

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