money talks, bullshit walks

English

Alternative forms

• money talks and bullshit walks

Etymology

First appeared c. 1968 in the US; a rhyming elaboration of money talks.

Proverb

money talks, bullshit walks

1. (slang, vulgar) Attempting to accomplish a goal by demonstrating possession of material resources will succeed, while attempting to accomplish the same goal through mere rhetoric will fail.
   • 1968, Keefe Brasselle, The Cannibals: A Novel about Television's Savage Chieftains, page p. 68:

     “You taught me a great expression a few years ago, Joey—don’t forget it yourself.”
     “What expression?” I asked.
     “Money talks—bullshit walks. Joey, the further away from the Chairman I get, the better I like it.”

   • 1984, Jack DeSario, Stuart Langton, Symposium on Citizen Participation and Public Policy, page 321:

     As my former congressman put it so inelegantly: "Money talks; bullshit walks."

   • 2001, Paul William Roberts, Norman Snider, Smokescreen: One Man Against the Underworld, page 252:

     First rule of the cold approach: money talks, bullshit walks. So Cal would tip the guy twenty dollars on a hundred-dollar tab.

Usage notes

Beware that talk and walk are used in the opposite sense from talk the talk/walk the walk, in which talk means “words without action” and walk means “action”. Here talk is used metaphorically to means “has actual effect, shows seriousness”, as in similar actions speak louder than words, instead of in the sense “empty words, without impact”, as in talk is cheap and talk the talk; walk is used to mean “walks away, does not follow through”.

See also

• actions speak louder than words
• talk is cheap
• talk the talk
• walk the walk
• a picture is worth a thousand words