"Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells"
About this Quote
Getty’s line is a billionaire’s attempt to make hoarding sound not just tacky but actively dangerous. The comparison does two jobs at once: it deflates money’s glamour by turning it into waste, and it reframes redistribution as basic hygiene. Manure is only valuable when it’s dispersed; piled up, it rots. In one image, Getty offers a moral alibi for circulation - investment, philanthropy, wages, even consumption - while quietly preserving the premise that the pile is his to manage.
The intent is practical, almost managerial: capital should move. In Getty’s world, money sitting idle is bad business and bad optics. The subtext, though, is where the line gets sharp. “You have to spread it around” sounds like generosity, but it’s also a philosophy of control: the wealthy get to decide where the “spreading” happens and on what terms. It’s less a call for structural redistribution than a defense of enlightened self-interest. Give enough away - or deploy enough - to prevent the stench of resentment, scrutiny, and political backlash.
Context matters because Getty was both emblem and cautionary tale of 20th-century American capitalism: immense wealth, public fascination, and a reputation for miserliness that followed him even into legend. That tension is why the quote sticks. It’s a PR-friendly proverb that admits what defenders of wealth often avoid: concentrated money creates social odor. The line works because it flatters the rich as gardeners of prosperity while conceding, with a wrinkle of cynicism, that the pile can start to smell.
The intent is practical, almost managerial: capital should move. In Getty’s world, money sitting idle is bad business and bad optics. The subtext, though, is where the line gets sharp. “You have to spread it around” sounds like generosity, but it’s also a philosophy of control: the wealthy get to decide where the “spreading” happens and on what terms. It’s less a call for structural redistribution than a defense of enlightened self-interest. Give enough away - or deploy enough - to prevent the stench of resentment, scrutiny, and political backlash.
Context matters because Getty was both emblem and cautionary tale of 20th-century American capitalism: immense wealth, public fascination, and a reputation for miserliness that followed him even into legend. That tension is why the quote sticks. It’s a PR-friendly proverb that admits what defenders of wealth often avoid: concentrated money creates social odor. The line works because it flatters the rich as gardeners of prosperity while conceding, with a wrinkle of cynicism, that the pile can start to smell.
Quote Details
| Topic | Money |
|---|---|
| Source | Evidence: ... Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells." — J. Paul Getty. "Invest in inflation. It's the only thing going up." — Will Rogers. "The borrower is servant to the lender." — The Bible. "Money is more trouble than ... Other candidates (1) J. Paul Getty (J. Paul Getty) compilation35.0% me money too because if you have a reputation for always making all the money yo |
More Quotes by Paul Getty
Add to List
