MONEY will do anything

Insights

The Omnipotence of Wealth

Money is depicted as the ultimate source of power, capable of overriding laws, ethics, and social hierarchies. It suggests that financial influence is the most potent force in human affairs.

A Tool of Corruption

The proverb implies that money is a universal corrupting agent. The ability to 'do anything' includes the capacity to bribe, manipulate, and erode moral integrity, suggesting that nothing is immune to its influence.

Universal Access and Mobility

As a metaphor, money acts as a universal key, capable of unlocking any door and providing access to otherwise unattainable positions, opportunities, or social circles. This is reinforced by the cross-reference 'If money go before all ways lie open'.

Transactional Reality

The proverb can be seen as a critique of a society where value is purely transactional. It suggests a world where intrinsic worth, virtue, and principles are rendered meaningless in the face of sufficient payment.

Historical Shift in Power

This proverb reflects the social and economic transformations of the early modern period, where the rise of a merchant class and a money-based economy began to challenge traditional aristocratic power structures. Its emergence in the 17th century captures a growing awareness that wealth could bypass birthright and social convention.

Cynical Worldview

The proverb carries a deeply cynical undertone, suggesting that morality, loyalty, and justice are all commodities that can be bought. It reduces human motivation to its most transactional level, implying that every person and institution has a price.

Psychology of Power

Psychologically, the proverb speaks to the perception of money as the ultimate tool for achieving agency and overcoming helplessness. However, it also implies a moral and spiritual emptiness, where the pursuit of wealth supplants all other values.

Literary and Philosophical Resonance

This theme is a cornerstone of literary and philosophical critiques of capitalism, from Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' to Balzac's 'Père Goriot'. It encapsulates the idea that capital has the power to reshape society and human relationships in its own image.

Rhetorical Devices

Hyperbole

The use of 'anything' is a deliberate exaggeration to emphasize the vast, almost limitless, power being attributed to money, making the statement absolute and memorable.

Personification

The proverb gives agency to 'Money', portraying it as an active force that accomplishes things on its own, rather than as a passive instrument wielded by people.

Aphoristic Statement

The statement is presented as a concise, universal truth. Its brevity and declarative nature give it the weight of an undeniable law of nature.