time is money

English

Etymology

Generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin. See 1748 quotation.

Proverb

time is money

1. Money is wasted (in lost wages, missed opportunities, etc.) when a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.
   • 1748, Benjamin Franklin, “Advice to a young Tradesman, written by an old One”, in George Fisher, editor, The American Instructor: or Young Man’s Best Companion, 9th edition:

     Remember that Time is Money. He that can earn Ten Shillings a Day by his Labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle one half of that Day, tho’ he spends but Sixpence during his Diversion or Idleness, ought not to reckon That the only Expence; he has really spent or rather thrown away Five Shillings besides.

   • 1823, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 14, in The Pioneers:

     And what do you mean to do with your time this winter? You must remember that time is money.

   • 1919, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 31, in Dawn:

     His words and manner carried the crisp terseness of the busy man whose time is money.

Translations

time is money

• Afrikaans: tyd is geld
• Arabic: اَلْوَقْتُ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ (al-waqtu min ḏahabin), ^{(please verify)} الزَّمَن يَعْنِي الْمَال (az-zaman yaʕnī l-māl)
• Belarusian: час — гро́шы (čas — hróšy), час — гэ́та гро́шы (čas — héta hróšy)
• Bulgarian: вре́мето е па́ри (vrémeto e pári)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一寸光陰一寸金／一寸光阴一寸金 (zh) (yīcùn guāngyīn yīcùn jīn), 時間就是金錢／时间就是金钱 (shíjiān jiù shì jīnqián)

• Czech: čas jsou peníze
• Danish: tid er penge
• Dutch: tijd is geld f
• Finnish: aika on rahaa (fi)
• French: le temps vaut argent, le temps, c’est de l’argent (fr)
• German: Zeit ist Geld (de)
• Greek: ο χρόνος είναι χρήμα (el) (o chrónos eínai chríma)
• Hindi: समय ही धन है (samay hī dhan hai)
• Hungarian: az idő pénz (hu)
• Indonesian: waktu adalah uang
• Italian: il tempo è denaro
• Japanese: 時は金なり (ja) (ときはかねなり, toki wa kane nari)
• Khmer: ពេលវេលា ជាមាសប្រាក់ (peilveiliə ciəmiəhprak)
• Korean: 시간은 돈이다 (siganeun donida)
• Lao: ເວລາເປັນເງິນເປັນທອງ (wē lā pen ngœn pen thǭng)
• Lithuanian: laikas - pinigai
• Malay: masa itu emas
• Norwegian: tid er penger
• Persian: وقت طلاست
• Polish: czas to pieniądz (pl)
• Portuguese: tempo é dinheiro (pt)
• Romanian: timpul înseamnă bani
• Russian: вре́мя — де́ньги (ru) (vrémja — dénʹgi)
• Spanish: el tiempo es oro
• Swedish: tid är pengar
• Thai: เวลาเป็นเงินเป็นทอง (wee-laa-bpen-ngən-bpen-tɔɔng)
• Turkish: vakit nakittir
• Ukrainian: час — гро́ші (čas — hróši), час — це гро́ші (čas — ce hróši), час — то гро́ші (čas — to hróši) (western Ukraine)
• Vietnamese: thời gian là tiền bạc

Further reading

• “Time is Money. Benjamin Franklin?”, in Quote Investigator‎^[1], 2010 May 14