Never marry for money. Ye'll borrow it cheaper.

This saying is commonly labeled a Scottish proverb and is typically presented in Scots dialect (“Ye’ll”) to signal its folk origin. It belongs to a long tradition of British and Scottish proverbial counsel about marriage as a practical, lifelong partnership rather than a financial transaction. The line is often quoted in collections of proverbs and aphorisms as a wry warning against marrying for wealth or social advancement—an especially pointed caution in societies where marriage could function as an economic alliance. Its humor depends on treating money as something more cheaply obtained through ordinary borrowing than through the far greater “cost” (loss of freedom, affection, or peace) of a mercenary marriage.

The proverb argues that marrying for money is a bad bargain: any financial benefit is outweighed by the personal and moral costs of a marriage entered without love or compatibility. The punchline—“you’ll borrow it cheaper”—reduces the supposed advantage of a wealthy spouse to a simple loan, implying that debt is preferable to a life bound to the wrong person. Beneath the joke is a serious ethical claim: marriage should not be instrumentalized as a means of acquisition. It also critiques the illusion of “free” money in marriage, suggesting that wealth gained through a spouse is paid for in other currencies—autonomy, happiness, and mutual respect.

Never marry for money; you can borrow it cheaper.
Never marry for money. You’ll borrow it cheaper.
Never marry for money; ye can borrow it cheaper.