“When a fellow says, "It hain't the money, but th' principle o' the thing," it's th' money.”
Kin Hubbard (1868–1930) cartoonist
Hoss Sense and Nonsense (1926).
As quoted in The American Treasury, 1455-1955 (1955) by Clifton Fadiman, p. 993.
Variant: When a fellow says, "It ain't the money but the principle of the thing," it's the money.