Creativity Quote by Mahalia Jackson

Money is bait in a room full of buzzing. Mahalia Jackson’s “Money just draws flies” lands with the blunt snap of someone who’s watched cash change the temperature of a space: not because money is evil, but because it attracts attention that isn’t love, loyalty, or even curiosity. Flies don’t admire the meal; they show up because it’s there, because it’s useful, because they can take something and move on. In one short line, Jackson turns wealth from a prize into a test of character - not for the person who has it, but for the crowd that gathers around it.

Coming from the queen of gospel, the metaphor carries a moral charge without sermonizing. Gospel music is built on community, testimony, and the idea that what sustains you isn’t what you can count. Jackson performed in an America where Black artists were routinely underpaid, exploited by promoters, and asked to smile through it; she also moved in circles where fame could invite opportunists as quickly as it opened doors. The “flies” aren’t just greedy strangers. They can be managers, gatekeepers, distant relatives, even institutions eager to sanctify her voice while commodifying her labor.

The intent feels like a warning dressed as folk wisdom: don’t confuse a crowd with care. If money’s biggest talent is attracting people, then the real work is learning who would still be there when the sweetness is gone.