How to Read “What comes first is money”
sakidatsu mono wa kane
Meaning of “What comes first is money”
“What comes first is money” means that you need money first before you can do anything. No matter how wonderful your plans or ambitions are, you need funds to make them happen.
This proverb is used when teaching someone about the importance of practical preparation. It often comes up when people talk about their dreams.
For example, you might want to start a business, travel abroad, or pursue education. But to actually take action, you need money first.
You can’t cook without ingredients. You can’t build a house without materials. The same logic applies to everything.
Even today, this saying points out the gap between ideals and reality. However, it doesn’t promote money worship.
Rather, it conveys practical wisdom. If you want to achieve your goals, it’s smart to establish a financial foundation first.
Origin and Etymology
There are no clear written records about the origin of this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
The word “sakidatsu” means “to come first” or “to be needed beforehand” in terms of time. Notice that the proverb uses the word “mono” (thing) here.
Instead of directly saying “kane” (money), it deliberately uses “mono” (thing) to refer to money. This likely relates to the aesthetic sensibility of Edo period merchant culture, where speaking openly about money was avoided.
During the Edo period, samurai officially considered money “vulgar.” But in reality, commerce flourished and everyone recognized money’s importance.
Against this backdrop, people acknowledged the need for money while using the somewhat indirect word “mono” to express it.
The choice of the verb “sakidatsu” is also clever. When you try to start something, what do you need first as preparation? Money.
This single word captures that reality precisely. You may have ideals and ambitions, but you need funds to take action.
Our ancestors condensed this harsh yet obvious reality into simple words.
Usage Examples
- I want to start a business, but what comes first is money, so I need to save up first
- You say you want to study abroad, but what comes first is money, so make a realistic plan
Universal Wisdom
“What comes first is money” has been passed down through generations because it sees through the fundamental structure of human society.
Humans are creatures who dream. We imagine better lives, new challenges, and unknown worlds. This power to envision ideals has driven human progress.
But at the same time, humans live within material constraints. Food, shelter, tools, and in modern times, money. Without these material foundations, even the noblest ideals cannot be realized.
This proverb shows the tension between ideals and reality. Ambition alone won’t move the world. But having only money won’t give life meaning either.
The balance between the two is what matters most.
Our ancestors must have repeatedly witnessed dreamers fail by ignoring reality. The pattern of “noble ambitions but insufficient preparation” has repeated across ages.
That’s why the lesson to secure your footing first was captured in simple words.
This proverb represents the eternal dialogue between human idealism and realism. It doesn’t deny the importance of having dreams.
But it also reminds us not to forget the need for practical preparation. This exquisite sense of balance is the universal wisdom this proverb holds.
When AI Hears This
The universe has a natural tendency for things to become disordered when left alone. Rooms get messy, machines break down, buildings deteriorate.
These are all manifestations of the second law of thermodynamics. Interestingly, this law applies perfectly to human economic activity too.
Consider a company, for example. If you do nothing, inventory deteriorates, equipment breaks, and employee motivation drops. In other words, the order called organization naturally moves toward collapse.
To prevent this collapse, you must continuously inject energy from outside. What physics calls energy corresponds to “money” in human society.
By buying new materials with money, repairing equipment, and paying salaries, organizational order is maintained for the first time.
In other words, money is the only means to counter the entropy increase in economic systems. No matter how wonderful your ideas or enthusiasm, without money as an energy source, the order called a plan will naturally collapse before it can even start.
Since maintaining order requires energy cost as a physical law, “money comes first” in human activities is not emotional reasoning. It’s a necessity demanded by the structure of the universe itself.
This proverb was actually expressing thermodynamic truth in economic language.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is how to build a bridge between dreams and reality.
You surely have goals you want to achieve. That’s wonderful. But before you start running toward those goals, stop and think for a moment.
What resources do you need? How much funding is required? How will you prepare it?
This act of “stopping to think” is the most important thing this proverb teaches. It’s not about giving up on your dreams.
Rather, it’s strategic thinking to ensure you realize your dreams.
In modern society, fundraising methods have diversified. Crowdfunding and small-scale investments are now options. But whatever method you choose, understanding the importance of “what comes first” is the starting point.
This proverb gives you the courage to face reality. Talking only about ideals is easy.
But to turn those ideals into reality, you need grounded preparation. People who can make that preparation are the ones who truly make their dreams come true.
Comments