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Quotation from Principles of Political Economy by John Stuart Mill
“There cannot, in short, be intrinsically a more insignificant thing, in the economy of society, than money; except in the character of a contrivance for sparing time and labour.”
Principles of Political Economy, Book III, Chapter VII: Of money (Principles of Political Economy, 7th ed. (1871), ed. W. J. Ashley (London: Longmans, Green, 1909), via the Online Library of Liberty)
From the chapter on money in Book III: Mill argues that money is a machine for doing quickly what barter would do slowly, and does not alter the underlying laws of value.
Citation: "There cannot, in short, be intrinsically a more insignificant thing, in the economy of society, than money; except in the character of a contrivance for sparing time and labour." — John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, Book III, Chapter VII: Of money (Principles of Political Economy, 7th ed. (1871), ed. W. J. Ashley (London: Longmans, Green, 1909), via the Online Library of Liberty). (id mill-principles-of-political-economy-q3)
