Money doesn't smell.
Meaning
This phrase means that the source from which money is obtained is irrelevant; its value and utility are unaffected by its origin.
Origin
The year is 79 AD, and Rome’s Emperor Vespasian, a man of practical mind, imposed a tax on public urinals to replenish the imperial coffers. His son, Titus, found the idea of taxing such a lowly source vulgar and confronted his father about it. In a legendary move, Vespasian held a gold coin, fresh from the new revenue, under Titus’s nose and asked if it smelled. When Titus admitted it did not, Vespasian famously declared, "Pecunia non olet"—money doesn't smell. This pithy retort captured the enduring truth that the origin of wealth, however unseemly, doesn't diminish its power or usefulness, forever etching the phrase into history.
Examples
- Despite questions about how the funds were raised, the mayor accepted the donation, remarking, "Money doesn't smell."
- He wasn't particularly fond of the client's business practices, but a paycheck is a paycheck, and after all, money doesn't smell.