Money Makes the World Go ’Round: The pecuniary worldview of modern American proverbs

Scared money can't make money (Scared money won't win, Scared money is dead money;

Don't play with scared money) (1935, S1: 109)

Sell in May and (then) go away (1938, DMP: 164)

The proverb is based on the usual underperformance of some stocks in the summery six-month period beginning in May and ending in October.

As California goes, so goes the nation (1940, DMP: 32)

The proverb does not only refer to the financial influence of this large state but also to electoral politics, fashions, and fads of various kinds. It is modelled on the older “As Maine goes, so goes the nation.”

What is good for General Motors is good for America (the country) (1953, DMP: 95)

The proverb originated as a misquotation from U. S. Senate testimony of Charles E. Wilson (former president of General Motors): “For years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa. The difference did not exist.” The proverb most often satirizes the concept that the well-being of giant corporations including their stocks (!) is inextricably and benevolently connected with the welfare of the nation and its populace.

Look before you leave (1958, DMP: 150)

Originating as an anti-proverb based on “Look before you leap,” the proverb has had a wide range of applications, urging caution about withdrawing one's money from an investment, about ascertaining that no body lies on the bottom of a private swimming pool, about ensuring that no children or pets are left locked in a car, etc.

When the United States (U. S., America, Wall Street, etc.) sneezes, the world catches (a) cold

(pneumonia) (1977, S3: in print)

The trend is your friend (Trend is friend) (1983, DMP: 263)

The advice is to follow the developing market.

Don't marry (fall in love with) a stock (1969, S3: in print)

As can be seen from these texts, they often exist in variants, as do traditional proverbs as well. It does take time until a standard form crystalizes and gains general acceptance [Mieder 2004: 9]. In the case of the proverb “What's good for Wall Street is good for Main Street (If it's good for Wall Street, it's good for Main Street” (1995, S1 : 118) it is of great paremiological interest that its reversal, i.e. that Main Street is the first element, developed in the same year as the independent proverb “What's good for Main Street is good for Wall Street” (1995, S1: 107). President Barack Obama used both proverbs repeatedly to stress the interdependence of big and small business in the United States [Mieder 2009: 259, 334-335]. But there is no doubt that the Stock Market on Wall Street is the driving engine of capitalist America where earning and spending money is part of the national worldview.

This having been said, it is finally time to look at those proverbs that refer to “money” in particular. Some of them deal with human relationships, as for example “Those who marry for money earn it” (1903, DMP: 170) and the somewhat related proverb that had a British start: “Never (Don't) marry for money; it's cheaper to borrow it (you can borrow it cheaper) (1927, DMP: 170). But speaking of relations, American proverbial wisdom has changed the old proverb “Blood is thicker than water” into the pecuniary anti-proverb “Money is thicker than blood” (1904, S1: 109), emphasizing the capitalist preoccupation with money. Things can get quite brutal, if a loan shark states the proverb “You can't get money from a dead man” (1964, DMP: 171) to explain why the ruined borrower is kept alive. Speaking of criminal matters, there is the well-known modern proverb “Follow the money (1974, DMP: 168), claiming that when all is well and done the best way to catch a criminal is by way of money trails.

As one would expect, modern proverbs also give good advice, to wit “The best way to make money is to save it (is not to lose it) (1922, DMP: 272). Following the pattern of “The best way to X is to Y” brings to mind the quite recent proverb “The best way to rob a bank is to own one” (1986, DMP: 272) that seems to argue that people should take matters in their own hands to succeed financially. In any case, the proverb “Put your money where your mouth is” (1913, DMP: 170) has been a solid piece of advice since the early twentieth century, arguing that financial promises must be followed by action. That money does count in human relationships is also clearly expressed by the more recent proverb “My money, my rules (Your money, your rules)” (1975, DMP: 169). The structural pattern “My X, my rules” has become quite productive in recent years, to wit “My game, my rules (Your game, your rules)” (1963, DMP: 93) and “My house, my rules (Your house, your rules)” (1983, DMP: 126). Certain proverbial structures most certainly are involved in the creation of new monetary proverbs. For example, the pattern “X is wasted on Y” of the proverb “Youth is wasted on the young” (1931, DMP: 284) formed the basis of the more recent proverb “Money (Wealth) is wasted on the rich (wealthy) (1981, S2: 32), a rather flippant comment possible only in a society where money plays a dominant role. This is also in the background of the proverb “A billion (million) here and a billion (million) there -- pretty soon it adds up (begins to add up) to real money” (1938, DMP: 21) that had its start as a satirical comment on the ever increasing federal budget of the United States.

The following last group of five rather short proverbs about money can well represent the concluding comments of this survey about the American pecuniary worldview. They certainly depict the positive and negative power of money and wealth, as it is found in abundance among Americans of all walks of life:

Money has no morality (1905, DMP: 169)

In its ambiguous wording, the proverb can mean either that money itself is amoral or that it -- or the greed it represents -- is immoral.

Money never sleeps (1907, DMP: 169)

The proverb has two (related) meanings: the value of money that is merely hoarded can slip away, and the value of money that is prudently invested will grow relentlessly.

Money talks, bullshit walks (1969, DMP: 169)

“Bullshit” refers to worthless matters. The proverb probably originated as an antiproverb based on “Money talks.”

Money talks, wealth whispers (1989, S1: 109)

Also based on the traditional proverb “Money talks”, this proverb emphasizes that true wealth is discreet and in no need to brag.

Money has no memory (1991, DMP: 169)

This proverb basically states that money is a commodity without any concern of its (il)legitimate use.

What all of this shows is, of course, that the proverb “Money makes the world go 'round” contains much truth, both in its positive and negative aspects. This can be found in the proverb repertoire of other cultures and languages, but there can be no doubt that money and wealth in all of their iterations are a dominant part of the American capitalist worldview. There are numerous other components to the image of a general American mentality, but business and finance are certainly part of it all. The main point to keep in mind here is not to vilify money and wealth themselves. It is people who pervert them or put them to good use that benefits the American society in general. Adding the forwardlooking aspect of the American psyche to this, there is always hope that the emphasis on capitalism might develop into a more balanced social-democratic pecuniary society without such an extreme difference between rich and poor. With good will and a belief in the golden rule, this might well happen someday.

Abbreviations

DMP -- The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, see Doyle, Mieder, Shapiro 2012.

-- The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs: A Supplement. (2016), see Doyle, Mieder 2016.

-- The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs: A Supplement. (2018), see Doyle, Mieder 2018.

-- The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs: A Supplement. (2020), see Doyle, Mieder 2020.

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