A fun set today: Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and a Lily Tomlin quote that summarizes the whole of life ( sort-of ).
Hence, the Editor's choice to offset the long and prolonged quotations of that-there period of time; not that there's one single thing wrong with either Ben or Tommy-boy ( as I used to call him ).

... and their application. ( or was that obvious ? )

The trouble with this is it's an impolite epithet, because ( as I understand it ), psychologists and others of their ilk use the word moron to define a true mental state. It would be like calling a crippled person a cripple. [ Not sure I made it clear, but that's my understanding. ] Might be worth finding the approximate date when "moron" became a true definition: I DO recall using the word when someone didn't "get it." ... but now I'm an 85 year-old "growed up" man and I've "put away" that "childish thing."

A TRUE paraphrase:

Make a nation large and strong and tyranny will bankrupt itself making shackles for its own assets

... and in our early country's youthful ignorance we called the Indian natives ignorant !? Relate to the "weak eyes" quote below !

... and weak brains also are captivated by such shininess.

My temptation is to expand-and-expound on the original quote.

But I will resist the temptation: all I could do would be to diminish its presentation, adding not one jot or tittle ( ? ) to it.

WELL SAID !

Well said. It reminds me; I've not read the document for many a year, a good item to put on today's list of "THINGS TO DO."

HEAR, HEAR !!