--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For thousands of years, philosophers…" description: "\"“For thousands of years, philosophers, thinkers and prophets have besmirched money and called it the root of all evil. Be that as it may, money is also..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/yuval-noah-harari-100_money_for-thousands-of-years-philosophers-thin_2132905.jpg" --- # For thousands of years, philosophers, thinkers and… ![“For thousands of years, philosophers, thinkers and prophets have besmirched money and called it the root of all evil. Be that as it may, money is also the apogee of human tolerance. Money is more open-minded than language, state laws, cultural codes, religious beliefs and social habits. Money is…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/yuval-noah-harari-100_money_for-thousands-of-years-philosophers-thin_2132905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/yuval-noah-harari-100_money_for-thousands-of-years-philosophers-thin_2132905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/yuval-noah-harari-100_money_for-thousands-of-years-philosophers-thin_2132905.jpg) > ““For thousands of years, philosophers, thinkers and prophets have besmirched money and called it the root of all evil. Be that as it may, money is also the apogee of human tolerance. Money is more open-minded than language, state laws, cultural codes, religious beliefs and social habits. Money is the only trust system created by humans that can bridge almost any cultural gap, and that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, age or sexual orientation. Thanks to money, even people who don’t know each other and don’t trust each other can nevertheless cooperate effectively. The”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Money acts as a universal trust medium that transcends cultural, religious, and social boundaries, enabling cooperation among strangers. **In simple terms:** Money lets people trust each other across differences. Key Takeaway Use money wisely as a bridge, not a barrier. Themes trust cooperation culture economics equality Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical sociological When to use this quote - business negotiations - international aid - online marketplaces - immigration settlements - cross‑cultural projects Key Concepts social capital universal medium trust networks globalization Questions to Reflect On - How does money influence your perception of trust? - Can money replace personal relationships? A Different Perspective Money cannot solve moral or ethical conflicts on its own. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-money-419081/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-people/) [Money Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-trust-597089/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-beliefs/) [Tolerance Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance-money-700898/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [“For thousands of years, philosophers, thinkers and prophets have besmirched money and called it the root of all evil. Be that as it may,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-thousands-of-years-philosophers-thinkers-and-prophets-have/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“...Money is also the apogee of human tolerance; money is more open-minded than language, state laws, culture codes, religious beliefs, and social habits. Money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/money-is-also-the-apogee-of-human-tolerance-money-is-more-open-minded/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Similarly, the fact that another person believes in cowry shells, or dollars, or electronic data, is enough to strengthen our own belief in them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/similarly-the-fact-that-another-person-believes-in-cowry-shells-or/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Money is more open-minded than language, state laws, cultural codes, religious beliefs and social habits. Money is the only trust system created by humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/money-is-more-open-minded-than-language-state-laws-cultural-codes/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Nothing so evil as money ever grew to be current among men. This lays cities low, this drives men from their homes, this trains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/nothing-so-evil-as-money-ever-grew-to-be-current-among-men-this-lays/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Cryptocurrencies are not evil and are not for money launderers and scammers. They are for entrepreneurs, technologists, change-the-world dreamers, and anyone who believes they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mougayar/cryptocurrencies-are-not-evil-and-are-not-for-money-launderers-and/) [William Mougayar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mougayar/) > [“Throughout men’s history, money was always seized by looters of one brand or another, whose names changed, but whose method remained the same: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/throughout-men-s-history-money-was-always-seized-by-looters-of-one/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Okay, were talking about the root of all evil. (Money) Never put it before God or your people & never let it come between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-garcia/okay-were-talking-about-the-root-of-all-evil-money-never-put-it/) [Chad Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-garcia/) > [“the ethical and political ideas of Locke, Rousseau and Jefferson. However, once the heretical scientific insights are translated into everyday technology, routine activities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-ethical-and-political-ideas-of-locke-rousseau-and-jefferson/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“People feel bound by democratic elections only when they share a basic bond with most other voters. If the experience of other voters is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/people-feel-bound-by-democratic-elections-only-when-they-share-a/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [ “People feel bound by democratic elections only when they share a basic bond with most other voters. \[...\] Democratic elections usually work only within… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/people-feel-bound-by-democratic-elections-only-when-they-share-a-2/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [We ought to change the legend on our money from "In God We Trust" to "In Money We Trust." 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Because Money can be earned back, but not trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newlove/if-there-comes-a-time-to-choose-between-money-trust-choose-trust/) [Newlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newlove/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. 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We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. 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There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) [Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## More Money quotes > [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. 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