Meanings
- Money or moneyed interests have power.
Money still talks — indeed, thanks in part to the Roberts court, it talks louder than ever. Still, ideas matter too, shaping both how we talk about society and, eventually, what we do.
2014 April 25, Paul Krugman, “The Piketty Panic”, in The New York Times, →ISSN1 more example
He illustrated the fact of money talking in the case of Mrs. Rita Warren who successfully stopped the showing of 1001 Danish Delights in a local Norwell theatre, yet was promptly arrested when attempting the same picketing in front of the more profitable Ben Sack "57" theatre to stop the showing of The Exorcist.
1974 February 9, “Tufts Porno”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 33, page 2
Origin
19th century, from earlier forms such as gold speaks (1666, in full, “Man prates, but gold speaks.”), as translation from Italian by Giovanni Torriano, in Piazza Universale di Proverbi Italiani: or, A Common Place of Italian Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, 179.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 錢可通神 /钱可通神, 錢能通神 /钱能通神
- 錢可通神 /钱可通神 (qiánkě tōngshén)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
- 錢能通神 /钱能通神 (qiánnéng tōngshén)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
- 金錢萬能 /金钱万能 (jīnqián wànnéng)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
- 有錢能使鬼推磨 /有钱能使鬼推磨 (yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuīmò)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Esperanto mono parolas
- mono parolasit is easier to accomplish goals using money
Finnish raha ratkaisee
- raha ratkaiseeit is easier to accomplish goals using money
French l'argent parle
- l'argent parleit is easier to accomplish goals using money
German Bargeld lacht, Geld regiert die Welt
- Bargeld lachtit is easier to accomplish goals using money
- Geld regiert die Weltit is easier to accomplish goals using money
Hebrew הכסף מדבר
- הכסף מדבר (hakésef m'dabér)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Hindi पैसा बोलता है
- पैसा बोलता है (paisā boltā hai)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Hungarian pénz beszél, kutya ugat
- pénz beszél, kutya ugatit is easier to accomplish goals using money
Irish bíonn urraim don airgead
- bíonn urraim don airgeadit is easier to accomplish goals using money
Japanese 金が物を言う, 地獄の沙汰も金次第
- 金が物を言う (kane ga mono o iu)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
- 地獄の沙汰も金次第 (jigoku no sata mo kane shidai)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
- 閻魔大王が下す地獄での判決も金次第では軽くもなる (Enma Daiō ga kudasu jigoku de no hanketsu mo kane shidai de wa karuku mo naru)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Korean 돈이 좌우한다
- 돈이 좌우한다 (doni jwauhanda)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Russian де́ньги реша́ют всё, де́ньги пра́вят ми́ром
- де́ньги реша́ют всё (dénʹgi rešájut vsjo)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
- де́ньги пра́вят ми́ром (dénʹgi právjat mírom)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Spanish poderoso caballero es don dinero, por dinero baila el mono
- poderoso caballero es don dineroit is easier to accomplish goals using money
- por dinero baila el monoit is easier to accomplish goals using money
- la pela es la pelait is easier to accomplish goals using money
- el dinero mandait is easier to accomplish goals using money
Tamil பணம் பத்தும் செய்யும்
- பணம் பத்தும் செய்யும் (paṇam pattum ceyyum)it is easier to accomplish goals using money
Turkish para konuşur
- para konuşurit is easier to accomplish goals using money
Cite this entry
money talks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/money%20talks
“money talks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/money%20talks. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “money talks,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/money%20talks.
Source: money talks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.