Therefore, when war threatens, preparations must be made in any event; for the evil of what proves to be the needless expenditure of money in one instance is not to be weighed for a moment against the failure to prepare in the other.
From an essay on national defense, this passage argues that the potential cost of unnecessary military spending is negligible compared to the catastrophic consequences of failing to prepare for war.
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It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles.
I absolutely agree with you that this matter is not one to be decided with any reference to the personal preferences or interests of any man, but purely from the standpoint of the interests of the people as a whole.
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