---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Money is both the generation and…"
description: "\"Money is both the generation and corruption of purchased honor; honor is both the child and slave of potent money: the credit which honor hath lost, mo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/francis-quarles-1740_children_money-is-both-the-generation-and-corrupt_659166.png"
---

#  Money is both the generation and corruption of purchased…

![“Money is both the generation and corruption of purchased honor; honor is both the child and slave of potent money: the credit which honor hath lost, money hath found. When honor grew mercenary, money grew honorable. The way to be truly noble is to contemn both.” quote by Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/francis-quarles-1740_children_money-is-both-the-generation-and-corrupt_659166.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/francis-quarles-1740_children_money-is-both-the-generation-and-corrupt_659166.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/francis-quarles-1740_children_money-is-both-the-generation-and-corrupt_659166.png)

> “Money is both the generation and corruption of purchased honor; honor is both the child and slave of potent money: the credit which honor hath lost, money hath found. When honor grew mercenary, money grew honorable. The way to be truly noble is to contemn both.”

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Money corrupts honor, and honor serves money; true nobility rejects both.

**In simple terms:** Money and honor corrupt each other; be noble by rejecting both.

Key Takeaway

Seek virtue beyond material and social status.

Themes

corruption virtue materialism

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- political leadership
- personal ethics
- corporate culture

Key Concepts

ethics philosophy social hierarchy

Questions to Reflect On

- Can one truly live without regard for money or honor?
- What does nobility mean today?

A Different Perspective

Rejecting both may be impractical.

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[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew Honorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-honorable-5255910/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Honor Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-child-5255909/) [Honor Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-honor-1394386/) [Honorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honorable/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-money/) [Mercenary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercenary/) [Mercenary Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercenary-money-5255908/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

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