---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hand that holds the money cracks the…"
description: "\"The hand that holds the money cracks the whip.\" — James M. Cain"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg"
---

#  The hand that holds the money cracks the whip.

![“The hand that holds the money cracks the whip.” quote by James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg)

> “The hand that holds the money cracks the whip.”

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

## About This Quote

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

Power over money can corrupt, leading to harsh control and oppression.

**In simple terms:** Money power can cause harsh control.

Key Takeaway

Beware the corrupting influence of wealth.

Themes

power money corruption control

Mood

cautionary critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- business leaders
- policy makers
- activists
- students of economics

Key Concepts

economic exploitation social hierarchy ethical decay

Questions to Reflect On

- What checks can prevent monetary abuse?
- How does wealth affect moral choices?

A Different Perspective

Not all financial influence is overtly violent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cracks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cracks/) [Cracks Whip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cracks-whip-2498384/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Holds Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holds-money-4761597/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Cracks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-cracks-4761596/) [Whip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whip/)

## Related quotes

> [ Against fortune the carter cracks his whip in vain. \[Fr., Centre fortune, la diverse un chartier rompit nazardes son fouet.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/against-fortune-the-carter-cracks-his-whip-in-vain-fr-centre-fortune/)

[Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/)

> [Circus dogs jump when the trainer cracks his whip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/circus-dogs-jump-when-the-trainer-cracks-his-whip/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Being smart as a whip includes knowing when not to crack it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/being-smart-as-a-whip-includes-knowing-when-not-to-crack-it/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [Whip ain't got no gas tank, But it still got woodgrain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-ocean/whip-ain-t-got-no-gas-tank-but-it-still-got-woodgrain/)

[Frank Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-ocean/)

> [ Do not pursue with the terrible scourge him who deserves a slight whip. \[Lat., Ne scutica dignum horribili sectere flagello.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/do-not-pursue-with-the-terrible-scourge-him-who-deserves-a-slight/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [The way I fight, it's not me beatin' the man. I make the man whip himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/the-way-i-fight-it-s-not-me-beatin-the-man-i-make-the-man-whip-himself/)

[Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/)

> [Anyway, so here I was caught between Johnson on the one side, who was my leader, I was his whip, and here was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-smathers/anyway-so-here-i-was-caught-between-johnson-on-the-one-side-who-was/)

[George Smathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-smathers/)

> [An Airedale can do anything any other dog can do and then whip the other dog if he has to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/an-airedale-can-do-anything-any-other-dog-can-do-and-then-whip-the/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“Stop blaming other people for your mistakes. Until you are ready to admit that you are infallible, you are vulnerable for failure to whip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/stop-blaming-other-people-for-your-mistakes-until-you-are-ready-to/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [You don't know, at the beginning of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' that you want Indy to use a whip, but you damn sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-markus/you-don-t-know-at-the-beginning-of-raiders-of-the-lost-ark-that-you/)

[Christopher Markus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-markus/)

> [A dominant race did not lie, because it had the whip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/a-dominant-race-did-not-lie-because-it-had-the-whip/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

> [They who study mankind with a whip in their hands will always go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/they-who-study-mankind-with-a-whip-in-their-hands-will-always-go-wrong/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“First, I’m going to teach you how to Irish Whip someone.” “Oh, that sounds kinky. I want my safeword to be peaches,” I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-adams/first-i-m-going-to-teach-you-how-to-irish-whip-someone-oh-that-sounds/)

[Kyle Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-adams/)

> [Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-mcclellan/here-is-a-paper-with-which-if-i-cannot-whip-bobbie-lee-i-will-be/)

[George B. McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-b-mcclellan/)

> [I once went down the Amazon and our boat got charged by Columbian policemen with guns and we all had to get on motorbikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-skelton/i-once-went-down-the-amazon-and-our-boat-got-charged-by-columbian/)

[Helen Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-skelton/)

## More by James M. Cain

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [“By nine, Mildred was powdered, puffed, perfumed, and patted to that state of semi-transparency that a woman seems to achieve when she is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/by-nine-mildred-was-powdered-puffed-perfumed-and-patted-to-that-state/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [“I ripped all her clothes off. She twisted and turned, slow, so they would slip out from under her. Then she closed her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-ripped-all-her-clothes-off-she-twisted-and-turned-slow-so-they/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [“Then she got up, went to Monty's mirror, and began combing her hair, while little cadenzas absentmindedly cascaded out of her throat, and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/then-she-got-up-went-to-monty-s-mirror-and-began-combing-her-hair/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [If your writing doesn't keep you up at night, it won't keep anyone else up either".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/if-your-writing-doesn-t-keep-you-up-at-night-it-won-t-keep-anyone/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [“Up close, she could see the sharp, cold, look that she constantly shot at Mr. Treviso, particularly when there was a break, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/up-close-she-could-see-the-sharp-cold-look-that-she-constantly-shot/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-make-no-conscious-effort-to-be-tough-or-hard-boiled-or-grim-or-any/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [“let's get stinko.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/let-s-get-stinko/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [I loved her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-loved-her-like-a-rabbit-loves-a-rattlesnake/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [She was a little given to rehearsing things in her mind, and having imaginary triumphs over people who had upset her in one way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/she-was-a-little-given-to-rehearsing-things-in-her-mind-and-having/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [“She looked like the great grandmother of every whore in the world. The devil got his money's worth that night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/she-looked-like-the-great-grandmother-of-every-whore-in-the-world-the/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [They threw me off the haytruck about noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/they-threw-me-off-the-haytruck-about-noon/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-make-no-conscious-effort-to-be-tough-or-hard-boiled-or-grim-or-any-2/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [When it’s too good, you do it over again. Too good is too easy. If it’s too easy you have to worry. If you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/when-it-s-too-good-you-do-it-over-again-too-good-is-too-easy-if-it-s/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [A guitar has moonlight in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-guitar-has-moonlight-in-it/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

[Explore all 47 James M. Cain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

## More Cracks quotes

> [Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drenched our teeples, drowned the cocks! You sulphurour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/blow-winds-and-crack-your-cheeks-rage-blow-you-cataracts-and/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I'm 45 years old. I used to be a club girl, but that's not my world anymore. That doesn't mean I can't make music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-manson/i-m-45-years-old-i-used-to-be-a-club-girl-but-that-s-not-my-world/)

[Shirley Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-manson/)

> [There's material that I read that I fall in love with, and I always get a little bit sad because I know that, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-chriqui/there-s-material-that-i-read-that-i-fall-in-love-with-and-i-always/)

[Emmanuelle Chriqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-chriqui/)

> [The world is a stone wall ... and they have put the stones so close together that there is not a single crack through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/the-world-is-a-stone-wall-and-they-have-put-the-stones-so-close/)

[Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/)

> [Interesting, isn’t it? What do you have to say about that, Fury? (Savitar) They’re on crack. (Fury) Anyone else on crack? (Savitar)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/interesting-isn-t-it-what-do-you-have-to-say-about-that-fury-savitar/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [You boys know what tropism is, it's what makes a plant grow toward the light. Everything aspires to the light. You don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/you-boys-know-what-tropism-is-it-s-what-makes-a-plant-grow-toward-the/)

[Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/)

> [What am I doing with my life am I living it or am I just going to some hum drum job that I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-greene/what-am-i-doing-with-my-life-am-i-living-it-or-am-i-just-going-to/)

[Kai Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-greene/)

> [Then there were the shabti, magical figurines that were supposed to come to life when summoned. A few months ago, I’d fallen for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/then-there-were-the-shabti-magical-figurines-that-were-supposed-to/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [When I was younger, I used humour as a tool to avoid getting too serious with people - if there was deep emotional stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/when-i-was-younger-i-used-humour-as-a-tool-to-avoid-getting-too/)

[Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/)

> [I'm a girl who has been tamping down her emotions and keeping them tightly guarded her whole life. And that works really well for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-m-a-girl-who-has-been-tamping-down-her-emotions-and-keeping-them/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [I was on the verge of something numinous and profound and in one more second the universe was going to crack open and arcana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-was-on-the-verge-of-something-numinous-and-profound-and-in-one-more/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [People do look at it as an insult that I say I don't listen to country music, which cracks me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-maines/people-do-look-at-it-as-an-insult-that-i-say-i-don-t-listen-to/)

[Natalie Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-maines/)

> [In any story, the villain is the catalyst. The hero's not a person who will bend the rules or show the cracks in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/in-any-story-the-villain-is-the-catalyst-the-hero-s-not-a-person-who/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [There is some really good crack when I come back here. This is where I learned to swear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/there-is-some-really-good-crack-when-i-come-back-here-this-is-where-i/)

[Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/)

[Browse all 1,039 Cracks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cracks/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The hand that holds the money cracks the whip.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James M. Cain"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the-whip/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cracks"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the-whip/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/james-m-cain-14109_cracks_the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the_2189174.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The hand that holds the money cracks the whip.” — James M. Cain",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James M. Cain",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The hand that holds the money...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the-whip/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/the-hand-that-holds-the-money-cracks-the-whip/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
