History Main / ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules

See also ScrewTheMoneyItsPersonal, when the character refuses pay not because of personal integrity, but because they'd rather get revenge on the person trying to buy them off.

See also ScrewTheMoneyThisItsPersonal, when the character refuses pay not because of personal integrity, but because they'd rather get revenge on the person trying to buy them off.

* In ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'', mercenaries cannot be bribed into working with mercenaries they hate, especially when the merc they hate in question is arguably unhinged in some way. For example, several mercs draw the line at working with [[AxCrazy]][[PsychoForHire]] "Unusually Ruthless" Reuban in the first game. Additionally, in ''Jagged Alliance 1'', some elite mercs cannot be bribed into staying if the player's death ratio, turnover ratio and/or failure rate gets too high:

'''Murtaugh''': [[WhatYouAreInTheDark ... It's fucking drug money.]]

* Hideo Ozu of ''Anime/HandMaidMay'' he turns down 10 million yen in exchange for old videos he shot of his aspiring-actress childhood friend, Mai. But rather than keeping the videos, he simply gives them away for free to Mai's producer, who had told him that the videos[[note]] (which as far as we know, are not pornographic or scandalous in any way)[[/note]] could get in the way of Mai's acting career. And when it turns out that [[spoiler:the producer and director intend to profit from the videos by integrating them into their new movie]], he gets indignant about the videos that were "taken" from him.

* ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'':

* ''Film/{{Serpico}}'': Frank won't take a bribe, and goes on a crusade to clean up the NYPD. Unfortunately, this puts him at odds with his fellow officers who profit from illegal trade, and his own superiors see him as an embarrassment, [[spoiler: and it is implied that the former set him up to get shot dead]].

* The adventure in ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'' begins when the titular character refuses to sell his custom made bike to his rich, spoiled neighbor Francis for money.
* Twice in ''Film/TheSearchers'':
** Figueroa returning the money Ethan gave him after he realizes why Ethan wanted to speak to Scar, because he does not want blood money. Not that he didn't know from the get-go that they were planning to kill Scar, but because it appeared that he had unwittingly led the white men to their deaths.
** A little later Martin refuses to become Ethan's heir because his new will cuts out Ethan's surviving blood-relative, Debbie.
* ''Film/InTheHeartOfTheSea'': [[spoiler:Owen Chase]] refuses to lie about the Essex's fate even after his employers offer him a bribe. [[spoiler:Pollard]] eventually also decides the truth is more important than his family's good name.
* In ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'', when [[ComicBook/TheKingpin Fisk]] first meets Murdock, he makes him a lucrative offer to take Fisk on as a client, only for Murdock to cite his firm's policy to only represent innocent clients. Fisk just laughs at such absurdity and leaves. Murdock's partner then tells him that he should be more like other lawyers and have something he calls a "moral vacuum" (i.e. represent a client whether or not he's guilty).
* In ''Film/JamesBond'', several villains (and occasionally even allies) have tried to bribe the title character away from Her Majesty's Secret Service, invariably to find that his loyalty isn't for sale.
** Creator/TimothyDalton's Bond was especially prone to this, possibly in response to the the greed-is-good zeitgeist of TheEighties:
** ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'':
--->'''Whitaker''': [[EvilCannotComprehendGood You burned up a hundred million bucks?]]\\
'''Bond''': [[BluntYes Mmm hmmm.]]\\
'''Whitaker''': [[PreAsskickingOneLiner That's too bad, Bond. You could have been a live rich man... Instead of a poor dead one.]]
** ''Film/LicenceToKill'':
--->'''Killifer''': There's two million dollars in that briefcase! I'll split it with you!\\
'''Bond''': [[PreMortemOneLiner You earned it. You keep it, "old buddy."]]
** Played with in the same movie by Killifer himself: he invokes this trope when Sanchez tries to bribe him, but then ends up taking the bribe anyway. It's implied that Sanchez doubling the offer of his usual million-dollar-bribes is what made the difference, making this less a case of "screw the money, I have rules" and more a question of "screw the money, I want more!"
* In ''The Blood of Heroes'' (aka ''Salute of the Jugger''), [[TheBigGuy Gonzo]], the premiere player of a BloodSport, is instructed by his patron [[AristocratsAreEvil Lord Vile]] to blind their mutual [[TheRival Arch Rival]] Sallow. Instead, Gonzo pins Sallow for an entire round of the match. During the break, Vile is ''pissed''.
-->'''Lord Vile:''' You protected him, you arsehole!\\
'''Gonzo:''' Lord Vile, I've broken juggers in half, smashed their bones, and left the ground behind me wet with brains. I'll do ''anything'' to win, but I'll never hurt a soul for ''any reason'' but to put a dog skull on a stake.
* ''Film/{{Machete}}'': It is mentioned that ruthless drug lord Rogelio Torrez bribes law enforcement to leave him alone. He is vexed that Machete can't be bought.
* ''Film/TheHighwaymen'': At the end, after killing Bonnie and Clyde, a New York reporter from the Associated Press offers Hamer a thousand dollars for an interview. He just walks off in disgust while Gault mutters "shame on you".
* From ''Film/Chef2014,'' Carl's friend Martin abandons his job as a ''sous chef'' in a high-end restaurant to join Carl working on a food truck simply because he had earlier promised that he'd join him as soon as Carl found a new kitchen to work in.
* In ''Film/JudgmentNight'', Ray is too scared to cross from rooftop to rooftop over a ladder and decides to try and bribe his safety from the gangsters that are chasing them by trying to offer them money and his expensive ring in exchange for his safety. Fallon responds by explaining how he hates Ray and his friends for their privileged lifestyle and that no amount of money will stop the gangsters from killing Ray and his friends, before tossing the guy off a roof to his death and later dropping the ring by Ray's corpse as they pass it.
* ''Film/{{Marlowe}}'': Philip Marlowe is a PrivateDetective who has been asked to find a missing man and along the way tries to solve some murders that happened during his investigation. The mob boss Sonny Steelgrave has his enforcer Winslow Wong offer Marlowe $500 (which was a lot of money in the 1960s) to stop his investigation. He refuses and tells Wong to take the money back.
* In ''Film/CrystalFairyAndTheMagicalCactus'', Crystal speculates that this is the reason why they can't find anyone willing to sell them the mescaline-bearing San Pedro cactus, even though many yards have the cactus.
* ''Film/TheHunter'': Implied. When Martin tries to rent a room in town, the publican says his rooms are all occupied and he won't evict any of his regular tenants even if Martin pays triple what they do. However, it's unclear if this is out of principle or reluctance to accommodate a supposed environmentalist in a community that depends on logging.
* ''Film/LethalWeapon2'' plays with this. The two main characters find themselves in a crate jam-packed with the villain's drug money, the sight of which staggers Murtaugh. It leads to a short conversation, which doesn't change either character's mind, but illustrates the difference between them:
-->'''Murtaugh''': With what I'm holding in my hands right now, I could put all three of my kids through college.
-->'''Riggs''': Why don't you take it?
-->'''Murtaugh''': [[WhatYouAreInTheDark ... It's fucking drug money.]]
-->'''Riggs''': [[MoralPragmatist So do something good with it.]] Rudd's not going to need it, not where he's going.
** Invoked in [[Film/LethalWeapon4 the fourth movie]], when a rumor starts going around the department that Murtaugh might be corrupt. Both Riggs and his girlfriend in Internal Affairs can only laugh at the absurdity of it, as they know Murtaugh could no more take bribe money than he could grow wings and fly.
** [[Film/LethalWeapon The first movie]] includes a villainous variation. The gang boss receiving drugs from the villains discovers that they're mercenaries, leading him to assume they're unreliable and only care about money. The main villain proceeds to order one of his men to place his arm over an open flame, which he does without complaint until he's ordered to stop. The point is made that while the unit as a whole may be a mercenary and drug dealing organization, everyone in it is utterly loyal to their leader.
* ''Film/PromWars'': Geoffrey offers Percy $30,000 to throw the paintball contest but he refuses due to his hatred for Geoffrey and desire not to let his classmates down.
* The lead villain of ''Film/TheRocketeer'', Neville Sinclair, is a Hollywood star with all sorts of underworld ties. Eddie Valentine, the local [[TheMafia Mafia]] boss he uses for muscle, doesn't exactly like him, but is happy to maintain the relationship as it's lucrative enough... until he finds out that Neville Sinclair is a Nazi agent. At that point, Valentine turns on him instantly and even sides with the cops and feds in the ensuing shootout. (Very much TruthInTelevision. The American underworld was full of immigrants from Europe who had their own bones to pick with Hitler and Mussolini, and went on to assist the war effort.)
-->'''Sinclair''': Come on, Eddie. I'm paying you well. Does it really matter where the money's coming from?
-->'''Valentine''': It matters to ''me''. [[PatrioticFervor I may not make an honest buck, but I'm a hundred percent American.]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards I don't work for no two-bit Nazi.]]
* ''Film/ShootToKill:'' When the killer offers his captive, Sarah, one of the stolen diamonds if she'll willingly guide him to the border, she throws it back in his face.
* This is itself echoing the script of ''Film/AllThroughTheNight'', a 1942 movie in which Humphrey Bogart plays a [[NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters Neighborhood-Friendly Gangster]] who runs afoul of a Nazi spy ring:
-->'''Ebbing''': You are a man of action. You take what you want, and so do we. You have no respect for democracy - neither do we. It's clear we should be allies.
-->'''Donahue''': It's clear that you are screwy. I've been a registered Democrat since I could vote. I may not be Model Citizen Number One, but I pay my taxes, wait for traffic lights, and buy 24 tickets to the Policeman's Ball. Brother, don't get me mixed up in no league that rubs out innocent bakers.
* ''Film/WakeMeWhenItsOver'': When the personnel at Shima Air Base get the idea to build a hotel, they run into a problem of funding. Since the Air Force is very unlikely to support construction, they have to resort to the locals of the backwater island they live on. However, being on a ''Japanese'' island during post-WWII occupation of Japan, neither the bank nor the mayor wants to back an American venture purely out of spite. The mayor, however, caves to the idea in the end since Gus's plea is backed by his daughter Ume, whom Gus had befriended earlier without knowing who she was.

--> '''Billy:''' We saw you guys arguing outside the motel.
--> '''Burnside:''' Yeah, that was shortly after.
--> '''Billy:''' After what?
--> '''Burnside:''' After I threw the man's cash in his face. I got a long drive home.
--> '''Billy:''' I'm sorry, Mr. Burnside, I didn't know-
--> '''Burnside:''' Whatever you may think of me, boy, I don't break the law.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', wherein you can almost always demand/request a reward for your services without repercussion. Meanwhile, giving charitable donations doesn't get you any kind of reward whatsoever, it just means you lose money. On the other hand, even when you are offered the chance to make a questionable moral decision, money isn't usually part of the reward. So what kind of hero are you, anyway?

* In ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'', mercenaries cannot be bribed into working with mercenaries they hate, especially when the merc they hate in question is arguably unhinged in some way. For example, several mercs draw the line at working with [[AxCrazy]][[PsychoForHire]] "Unusually Ruthless" Reuban in the first game. Additionally, in ''Jagged Alliance 1'', some elite mercs cannot be bribed into staying if the player's death ratio, turnover ratio and/or failure rate gets too high:
--> '''Col. Leo Kelly''': If I wanted more money, I'd have told you straight out. I'm a professional. Greenbacks aren't going to change my mind!

* In one of the audio logs in ''VideoGame/SystemShock 2'', Captain William Diego warns [=TriOptimum=] CEO [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Anatoly Korenchkin]] that even though both have reasons for undertaking the ''Von Braun's'' mission, Korenchkin cannot buy, trick, or circumvent Diego in any way. This partly stems from William's loathing of corporate tactics that his father Edward used in the first game to accidentally free [[AIIsACrapshoot SHODAN]].

* In ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', a random event in the Rock Homeworlds lets you escort a reluctant bride to her groom for an ArrangedMarriage. The groom's escorts offer you scrap and an augment in exchange for assisting them. You can either accept the offer, resulting in the bride [[WhatTheHellPlayer cursing you out]], or you can reject the offer and [[VideoGameCaringPotential rescue the bride]] by fighting the escorts, invoking this trope.
* In ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', when a drug smuggler attempts to bribe the PlayerCharacter, the player can have him detained, saying: "[[BadassBoast You cannot bribe an officer of Arstotzka.]]"

* Petra from ''VideoGame/EmeraldCityConfidential'' proves that she has limits when she refuses to get any more involved in obtaining illegal magical items, even though Dee--her client--offers to pay her more.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': [[spoiler: If you successfully play option C, Trevor will lock [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Devin Weston]] in the trunk of his car, and carry him to his doom. He will start trying to buy his way out of trouble, but a sociopath like Trevor won't let you go after you've screwed him and his fellow stick up artists so many times]].
** Subverted, they're all rich anyway. The fact that Trevor isn't willing to take a bribe of ANY kind to spare the guy counts, though.
* If you chose to take down Hiram Burrows non-lethally in ''{{VideoGame/Dishonored}}'', the guards will refuse Burrows' bribes; they're ''that'' disgusted at his actions.
* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'': In one lore entry, a group of crooked guild leaders try to bribe [[BloodKnight Lord Shaxx]] into rigging Crucible matches. He responds by arranging a clandestine meeting with them, then telling them to piss off and ''blackmailing them into giving out sponsorships'', pointing out that, as a high-ranking and widely respected Guardian, [[DidntThinkThisThrough he can destroy their careers by just telling people about the meeting, whereas the crooks have absolutely nothing to threaten or entice him with]].
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': While Dante constantly complains about [[PerpetualPoverty living in debt]], he seems to take jobs for the sake of helping people, and will not take a job he doesn't like, even if it pays high.
* Lara Croft in the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series will always raid tombs and artifacts for the sake of observing their beauty and history rather than doing it to make money. ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'' has Lara telling her rival, Pierre, that life is about more than just money when it comes to artifacts. Pierre disagrees and treats tomb raiding as just another job that he gets paid to do.

* In ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'', [[{{Jerkass}} Mike]] volunteers as a chaperone for a date [[ItAmusedMe for the privilege to punch anyone stepping over the line in the face]]. The boy attempts to bribe him with $50 to get lost. [[http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/03-men-are-from-beck-women-are-from-clark/fifty/ The results are predictable]].
* In ''Webcomic/{{Consolers}}'', [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Namco]] has the Yakuza offer to help him be the most powerful company in the industry. Although it seems slightly tempting at first, he refuses, because it wouldn't be right for the industry.

* In ''WebVideo/PokemonApokelypse'', Ash stops fighting to protect his Pikachu and gives back the money Team Rocket bought him off with.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E21TheOldManAndTheLisa The Old Man and the Lisa]]", Mr. Burns enlists Lisa to help him regain his lost wealth. She inspires him to build a recycling plant, but on discovering that he uses it to kill vast amounts of sea life, she rejects her share of the money. Which is ''twelve million dollars''.
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E17SimpsonSafari Simpson Safari]]", Lisa also refuses to help a Jane Goodall {{Expy}} hide the secret diamond mine she created with forced chimpanzee labor. The rest of the family take the bribe and happily fly home with armfuls of diamonds.
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E4BartTheMurderer Bart the Murderer]]". Bart, while emulating [[TheDon Fat Tony]], tried to bribe Principal Skinner into looking the other way at his mischief. Cue Bart in detention being forced to write "I will not bribe the principal" on the blackboard.
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E5HomerVsDignity Homer vs. Dignity]]", Homer becomes Mr. Burns' "prank monkey," doing increasingly immoral or humiliating things for money. He balks at Mr. Burns' final request that he exploits his position as SantaClaus in the town's parade to throw rotten fish on the audience, though. (Unfortunately, Mr. Burns just does it himself instead.)
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E4TwoCarsInEveryGarageAndThreeEyesOnEveryFish Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish]]", Mr. Burns interrupts a government inspector's tirade to notice that "some careless person" left a huge pile of money on his coffee table, and quickly exits with Smithers, hoping that the money will ''somehow'' disappear in their absence. He comes back a moment later to see the annoyed inspector hasn't touched it.
--->'''Burns:''' Oh, look, Smithers, the money and a very ''stupid'' man are still here!
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E3HomerGoesToCollege Homer Goes to College]]", Burns offers a pair of inspectors a choice of bribe: a washer-dryer set, or a mysterious box covered with question marks. One immediately screams, "''The box! THE BOX!''" while the other remains unaffected.
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E1HomerTheWhopper Homer The Whopper]]", Comic Book Guy's indie comic book ''Everyman'' is optioned to be made into a movie, but before signing with the studio, CBG has a demand. He doesn't want money, nor does he want women (which he acknowledges would be an impossible demand anyway), his sole demand is that he get to pick the lead actor, and picks Homer Simpson because Everyman is supposed to look like an average dumpy loser. The studio is eventually forced to agree since it's the only hold they have on him, but get around it by having Homer work with a personal trainer to make him more physically attractive. At this point, it becomes a subversion, as CBG has gone Hollywood by the time Homer's training is done and is no longer keeping track of the production.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan,'' Tombstone offers Spidey a lot of money to do some of his dirty work and, mostly, to look the other way when instructed. Spider-Man refuses, of course...[[spoiler:until a certain black suit gets on him]].

* PlayedWith on ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''--[[AntiVillain Macbeth]] offers to get rid of the gargoyles for [[XanatosGambit Xanatos]], and only accepts payment so it won't be obvious he has a secret agenda (drawing out Demona). And, as with every fight against them, he refuses to attack them when they're TakenForGranite.
* Twice in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}''. Our title character finds an unmarked envelope with a large sum of money, and he decides to turn it in to the police, despite the amount of flak he received from his friends. Then, 30 days later, he gets a call from the police station telling him that nobody claimed it so the money was now legally his. He soon finds out an old lady lost the exact same amount of money around the time he found it. Legally his, or not, his conscience tells him to return the money to her.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS19E8SponsoredContent Sponsored Content]]," Jimmy is editor of the school paper and takes his journalistic ethics so seriously that he refuses to run any ads, even when offered a $26,000,000 deal. (Amusingly, he ''seems'' flustered by it for a moment...except that it's actually just his [[SpeechImpediment trademark stutter]] as he says "S-S-S-Stick it up your ass.") [[UnfazedEveryman He is similarly unfazed when the guy making the offer puts a gun to his head]].

* One episode of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'' animated series revolved around Dilbert being tasked with programming a new online voting system for the goverment, which would allow him to program a backdoor for himself to manipulate voting results if he was so inclined. When the tobacco lobby finds out, they hope to bribe Dilbert to change votes for their interests, only to discover that Dilbert has no interest in money. In desperation, they turn to the Pointy-Haired Boss, who tells them Dilbert has ''one'' weakness and winks suggestively. The lobbyists assumed he meant women, but the Boss had actually been talking about ''free t-shirts''.
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': The episode "The First Annual Garfield Watchers Test" has Garfield's attempts to host the titular test interrupted by a spokesperson mouse from the Schlocko Company attempting to hock their companies AcmeProducts. Garfield accepts when the UndisclosedFunds the company offers is enough to keep [[BigEater him]] well-fed, but when they roll out a brand of [[TrademarkFavoriteFood lasagna]] even he can't stomach, he chases off the spokesperson using the Schlocko Mouse Catcher.
-->'''Spokesperson''': Garfield, think of the money...
-->'''Garfield''': I don't care about the money! Some things are more important! Good lasagna for one.
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Hank Hill is incredibly passionate about selling propane and propane accessories, but when push comes to shove, he'll stick to his principles.
** In "The Company Man", Hank goes in with the normal confidence he has, planning to do his normal sales pitch and ending it with pie and a handshake. But Mr. Holloway doesn't take Hank at all seriously, thinking he should be the cowboy he thinks Texans should be. Hank ends up making up stories and wearing a cowboy hat and boots just to win him over. But even through all that, Holloway still isn't impressed and decides to go with Thatherton Fuels after all, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech which causes Hank to rant how he didn't need his business after all, especially not in the way that degrades his dignity]].
** In "Joust Like A Woman", Hank is trying to work out a deal to sell propane to a RenaissanceFair owner. But when Peggy, who's working part-time there, tells Hank that the owner regularly abuses and harrasses the women workers, Hank's willing to end the potential propane deal for the sake of Peggy and her co-workers.

* Schwartzwald of ''Anime/TheBigO'' is a villainous example of this: when offered ridiculously generous severance pay from the Paradigm Corporation in exchange for his silence on the topic of the show's OntologicalMystery, he gleefully burns the cheque. [[spoiler:He then follows suit with the guests at his party.]]

* Hideo Ozu of ''Anime/HandMaidMay'' provides an infuriating example when he turns down 10 million yen in exchange for old videos he shot of his aspiring-actress childhood friend, Mai. But rather than keeping the videos, he simply gives them away for free to Mai's producer, who had told him that the videos[[note]] (which as far as we know, are not pornographic or scandalous in any way)[[/note]] could get in the way of Mai's acting career. And when it turns out that [[spoiler:the producer and director intend to profit from the videos by integrating them into their new movie]], he gets indignant about the videos that were "taken" from him.
* Both Natsu and Erza do this in ''Manga/FairyTail'' when offered obscene amounts of money as a reward for various jobs they've taken.
** A man named Kaby hires Natsu and Lucy to destroy his father Zekua's last work, a book called "Daybreak". Lucy discovers [[spoiler: Zekua actually wrote a book for his son titled "Dear Kaby", and then rearranged all the words in the book, as well as the letters in the title. This way, the awful man that forced Zekua to write for him would only receive a piece of trash, while the book's magic would reveal its true contents to Kaby.]] Natsu realizes that the team failed to carry out the job as specified and turns down payment, even if the result is better than Kaby had hoped for. Though Natsu also realizes that Kaby doesn't have very much money anyway.
** Later, Erza does this with a job that has been completed properly and then some, because when Natsu and Lucy first took it, they didn't have the guild's permission, and it was never officially accepted. However, while she does turn down a whopping 7 million Jewels (Yen by another name), she isn't above accepting a one of a kind summoning tool they were also offering.
* In ''Manga/KingdomHeartsII'', the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee won't allow its members to bill the people they help, as [[{{VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII}} Leon]] calls out on [[{{VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII}} Yuffie]] to not bill a woman she just saved.

* "Big News" Morgans from ''Manga/OnePiece'' zig-zags this trope. On one hand, he's the corrupt president of a globally-sold journal, so he has no problems with accepting a bribe in exchange for publishing a distorted or outright false story. On the other hand, he's a journalist first and foremost, so if he gets a big scoop he's gonna publish it no matter how much you bribe him not to.

* In the {{Polish|Media}} comic book series ''ComicBook/LilAndPut'' (Lil i Put) Lil, Put and Miksja have no money to pay to the Fairies for the clock they made so Lil and Put prepare to run. Miksja stops half way and says she is too honorable to run without paying and would rather take punishment even if it means being lynched by the fairies.
* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'':
** Silver Sable fails to capture Spider-Man. She refuses to admit failure, drop the job, and go away. "My reputation is everything to me. We'll finish the job for you. Comped. No charge."
** It happens quite often in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan.'' Probably played straightest when Spider-Man intervenes to save Boomerang, a C-grade bank robber, from being terminated with extreme prejudice by ComicBook/ThePunisher, and the villain gratefully offers him $20,000 to get him away from the cops. Poor student Peter is clearly tempted for a moment before webbing the villain up beside the Punisher for the cops to collect.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':
** Appears in one case where Silver Sable and Captain America are involved. Spider-Man is offered a million in cash and flatly turns it down. It helped that the one offering was the the ComicBook/RedSkull. Of course, the Skull can't resist goading the hero before ordering his goons to attack:
--->'''Skull''': Tsk. Patriotism must produce its own hormone. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood One that promotes stupidity.]] Kill him.
** Of course, they fail, and afterwards, Silver Sable, Captain America, and even a high-ranking general [[GoodFeelsGood appreciate that Spider-Man did so.]]
** During Creator/JMichaelStraczynski's run on the book, Spider-Man faced Digger, [[OurZombiesAreDifferent a radioactive zombie created from the corpses of 13 slain mobsters]]. Forelli, the mobster who ordered the hit on the "Vegas 13", offered to pay Spider-Man to take him down. After a bit of soul-searching, Spider-Man seemed to avert this trope by accepting the money (albeit after confirming that he was being asked to do nothing but keep in contact with Forelli, who he already suspected was Digger's main target, to protect him from Digger, which Spidey would do if he was in the area when Digger attacked Forelli anyway), but ultimately played it straight by donating the money to the school where Peter Parker was teaching to build a new library.
** In another story, Spider-Man acquired a briefcase of laundered, untraceable cash. He then gave it to the Vulture, because he knew the Vulture's daughter and granddaughter were struggling and the Vulture could use the money to help them. This actually fits with Spider-Man's character, as he'd rather use the money that way then end up fighting the Vulture for robbing banks to get money for them.

* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': Scrooge [=McDuck=], as created by Creator/CarlBarks. It's true that he ''is'' the richest duck in the world, but he earned his money by being [[CatchPhrase smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies,]] and [[SelfMadeMan he made it square]].
* Papa Smurf in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book story "The Finance Smurf" refuses to go along with the title character's suggestion of charging his little Smurfs for his services, even as impoverished as he became when he has to pay off his little Smurfs for taking care of him when he was sick during the time the Smurf Village monetary system was in place. Eventually, every Smurf decides to go Screw The Money to Finance Smurf when they realize that their old ways of cooperation and sharing were better.
* Do not try to bribe Franchise/{{Tintin}} into working with you. Even if you have him in a prison cell, sentenced to die the next day, he ''will'' kick you through the door just to show you what he thinks of you and your offers.
* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'', another Belgian comic hero, must be related to Tintin as he embodies this trope to a similar extent.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superlopez}}'': In "El castillo de arena" Superlópez is offered a big amount of money by the Bey of Djebana to take care of their mysterious nuclear crisis. Superlópez does investigate it, but making it clear that it's only for the sake of the people.
-->'''Superlópez:''' Of course I'll take care of the problem! As for your offer...\\
'''Bey:''' Yes...?\\
'''Superlópez:''' You can have it sugar coated! ''(flies out of the palace)''

* ''ComicBook/{{Cardboard}}'': After Mike explains how he doesn't even have money for a birthday dinner for Cam, his boss, Mr. Machousky, tries to give Mike some money from his own wallet to help out, but Mike turns the offer down.
-->'''Mr. Machousky:''' Well, you're in luck! I've got a heart and you're breakin' it right now! Don't tell anyone...but I think I can float you a little something 'til things turn around for you. I know you're good for it.\\
'''Mike:''' Thanks, boss, but I came in for a job, not a handout.

* ''ComicBook/ChuckDixonsAvalon'': King Ace is outraged to learn Fazer has stolen money from the bad guys, and demands he give it all to the needy. When Fazer tries it again, Ace ends their partnership and turns him in.

* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries: The Abridged Movie'': Kaiba is the {{Trope Namer|s}}, even though it was just a random bout of spoonerism. Kaiba himself is [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney an inversion]].
-->'''Kaiba''': Screw the money, I have rules! (beat) Wait, let me try that again.
* In ''Fanfic/SpotsOff'', Nadja Chamack and her fellow TV reporters are told about a viral video of Ladybug de-transforming, and are offered an instant raise to whoever identifies her. Nadja, being a family friend of Marinette, refuses to have anything to do with the story and tells them that if they have any decency at all, they will respect what privacy she still has and leave her alone. "But apparently, not all of my co-workers have decency."
* ''FanFic/SonOfTheSevenKingdoms'': When negotiating a possible alliance against Joffrey's supporters, William's uncle Renly tells him that, by marrying [[MsFanservice Margaery Tyrell]], he would gain a hundred thousand soldiers and the Seven Kingdoms. William replies that he could be offered a million men and a thousand kingdoms, and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Arya Stark]] would still come out on top.

* In ''Fanfic/TheStalkingZukoSeries'', the Dowager of the Earth Kingdom doesn't approve of her son, Earth King Kuei, romancing a commoner healer named Song, but doesn't try to break them up. Instead, she insists that they keep their relationship secret in the hopes that it will tear them apart, and when that fails, tries to bribe Song to break up with him. Song, however, refuses the money, and ultimately stays with Kuei.

* ''Film/IronMan1'': Tony Stark abruptly suspends the weapons manufacturing business that made him a billionaire several times over after coming face to face [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone with the consequences of his work.]]
* In ''Film/{{Flubber}}'', the bad guy offers to make Creator/RobinWilliams' AbsentMindedProfessor character and his fiancée, the college president, very rich if they would sell him the formula to the titular substance. The reply: "If we were interested in being rich, we wouldn't have become teachers." The reason why he was interested in him in the first place is because Robin's character was flunking the Bad's spoiled son who was otherwise [[BribingYourWayToVictory paying off the teachers to pass him without actually attending class.]] Naturally, our professor wasn't having any of that.
* In ''Film/RamboIV'', a group of aid workers attempt to hire Rambo to take them into a warzone, but Rambo refuses, believing that the workers will get themselves killed. The woman talks to him and somehow convinces him that he should let them try anyway.
* In John Sayles's movie ''Film/{{Matewan}}'' (based on a true story), the eponymous West Virginia coal town in the '20s is striking against the evil coal corporation, and the mayor is offered a bribe to side with the corporation. "This town ain't for sale, mister."

* In ''Film/TheUntouchables1987'', a corrupt UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} alderman in UsefulNotes/AlCapone's pocket tries to bribe Eliot Ness to put a stop to his liquor raids. Ness literally throws the money back in the man's face. This trope is literally what the film title and titular team name means.
* Inverted in ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]''. Han Solo is perfectly willing to let the Princess buy the farm until Luke reminds him that said Princess would pay handsomely for being rescued. After that, Solo pretty much does everything pro bono.
* In ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'', Cal tries to bribe First Officer Murdoch to let him on a lifeboat, proposing a "business deal" and quietly shoves a wad of bills in Murdoch's pocket. Murdoch just looks at him in bewilderment and mild disgust that [[ItsAllAboutMe this is what's on Cal's mind]] when hundreds of people are about to die. He's still willing to let him on a lifeboat when no other passengers are waiting in line, but Cal throws away this chance to live for another opportunity to break up the two leads. When Cal arrogantly tries to enforce the "deal" later, Murdoch throws his money back in his face and responds: "Your money can't save you any more than it could save me."
* This Trope is used in a negative way in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. When Baby Herman approaches Eddie asking him to help Roger, insisting that Roger was framed, Eddie won't get involved, stubbornly refusing to work for toons [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero because of how he feels about them]], even though Herman offers to pay him. (Eddie cleans up his act later.)
* Set up to look this way in ''Film/TropicThunder'' when Les Grossman [[spoiler:attempts to bribe Rick Peck into abandoning his friend and client]], but it seems that in the nick of time [[spoiler:Rick [[TakeAThirdOption took a third option]] and saved the day ''using'' the bribe money]].
* Evil version in ''Film/LayerCake''. The [[RuthlessForeignGangsters Serbian drug lords]] hunt down some British crooks who stole $2 million worth of ecstacy tablets from them. In the end, they're happy to simply kill the crooks. Their vengeance was about honor, not the money. In fact, when they think that the tablets were seized by the police, they don't make any effort to force the protagonist to pay them back. In the end, it's shown that they're producing so much ecstasy that the lost shipment is a mere pittance, so they care enough to kill anyone connected with the theft, but not really about the money.
* Doc Emmett Brown in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' refuses to use his time machine to get rich - not because he wouldn't want to be rich, but because any fiddling with the timeline could have dire consequences for all of humanity, making this more of a "There ''are'' rules" example rather than an "I ''have'' rules" example (in [[Film/BackToTheFuture the first movie]] he hints that he would very much like to bet on the winners of the next 25 World Series during or after his trip to 2010). He also managed to acquire a suitcase full of money from various eras, when it had previously been stated he'd spent his entire family fortune on the time machine.
* In ''Film/TheDeparted'', Frank and William are having a conversation about William's father. Frank tells William that his father (William Sr.) would and could have killed Frank and all of his associates to keep his son from working for Frank. Afterwards, William asks Frank if his father had ever worked for him. Frank says no, adding, "He didn't want money, you can't make a deal with a man like that."
* The rookie cop in ''Film/TrainingDay'' pisses off his BrokenPedestal mentor precisely because he won't flout the rules for money.
* Charles Simms in ''Film/ScentOfAWoman'' turns down a scholarship to Harvard rather than rat out his friends. Doubly impressive in that the boys he's covering for are grade A assholes, and there's no way he can afford college without the scholarship. As [[ColonelBadass Lt.Col. Slade]] puts it, "that's character."
* Chazz Darvey in ''Film/{{Airheads}}''. In spite of all the effort he went through to get a record contract for him and his band, when Chazz learns that [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jimmy Wing]] is signing them without hearing their music, he promptly [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome wipes his ass with the contract]]. Later, the entire band gets one after Wing talks Chazz into the contract when they learn that [[spoiler:the contract is contingent on lip-syncing in public]]. They proceed to smash up the place and incite a riot.
* In ''Film/DickTracy'', Big Boy is [[PragmaticVillainy smart enough]] to know that killing Tracy would likely lead back to him, so he attempts to bribe Tracy with ''thousands'' of dollars. Tracy throws it in his face.

* In ''Film/FlashOfGenius'', Kearns rejects Ford's settlement offer of $30 million but no admission of wrongdoing, and goes to trial. Ultimately, he was awarded $10.1 million in damages, and Ford had to admit they infringed on his intermittent windshield wiper patents. The real Kearns, however, subverts this, in that he was actually seeking exclusive manufacturing rights. He also settled with Ford for the $10 million.
* In ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'', the English king Edward the Longshanks sends Princess Isabella to deliver gold to William Wallace in an attempt to buy him out of an invasion of England. Wallace firmly refuses.
-->'''Isabella''': He proposes that you withdraw your attack. In return he grants you title, estates, and this chest of gold which I am to pay to you personally.\\
'''Wallace''': A lordship and titles. Gold. That I should become Judas?\\
'''Isabella''': Peace is made in such ways.\\
'''Wallace''': ''Slaves'' are made in such ways!

* In ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', Ripley refuses to be part of [[spoiler:Burke's]] hopes of profiting off acquiring a xenomorph. Given her experience in the last movie, she has damned good reason to oppose this.
-->'''Ripley''': You know, [[spoiler:Burke]], I don't know which species is worse. You don't see ''them'' fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage!
* John [=McClane=] in ''Film/DieHardWithAVengeance'' won't take money from criminals, even when it's a hell of a lot easier than getting the shit kicked out of him by them. In most cases it's ''because'' the bad guys spent quite a bit of time kicking the shit out of him first, so he's pissed off enough to completely ignore their offer by the time they make it (though his character wouldn't let him take it even then).
-->'''Simon''': John. In the back of the truck you are driving, there is $13 billion worth in gold bullion. I wonder if a deal would be out of the question?\\
'''John''': Yeah, I got a deal for you, crawl out from under that rock you hiding under and I'll drive this truck up your ass.
** The villains in the franchise are more generally inversions. All of them claim to be idealists who are motivated by moral reasons (each Gruber brother as a left-wing radical, Colonel Stuart as an anticommunist, Thomas Gabriel as a concerned citizen trying to wake America up to the glaring holes in its defense system). In every case, it's all smoke and mirrors. They're just in it for the money.
* ''Film/TheFlintstonesInVivaRockVegas'': Chip offers to release Fred from [[TrappedByGamblingDebts his gambling debts]] if Fred agreed to leave Wilma. Fred refuses.
* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' has The Penguin, a nun who raised the protagonists and who owes the city of Chicago $5000 in taxes. When Jake and Elwood offer to get the money for her "in a day" (by stealing it, which Jake just got out of prison for), she immediately stops them, refusing to accept any money gained from a life of crime.
* Tony's mother in ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' refuses any assistance from her son and wants nothing to do with him thanks to his life of crime.
* ''Film/GrossePointeBlank'': Freelance hit man Martin Blank is free to turn down some jobs:
--->'''Marcella''': Did you read today's offer? It's in French. It's a Greenpeace boat, it'd be so easy.\\
--->'''Martin''': No way! I have scruples.
* ''Film/{{Serpico}}'': Frank won't take a bribe, and goes on a crusade to clean up the NYPD. Unfortunately, this puts him at odds with his fellow officers who profit from illegal trade, and his own superiors see him as an embarrassment, [[spoiler: and it is implied that the former set him up to get shot dead]].

--->'''Whitaker''': [[EvilCannotComprehendGood You burned up a hundred million bucks?]]
--->'''Bond''': [[BluntYes Mmm hmmm.]]
--->'''Whitaker''': [[PreAsskickingOneLiner That's too bad, Bond. You could have been a live rich man... Instead of a poor dead one.]]

--->'''Killifer''': There's two million dollars in that briefcase! I'll split it with you!
--->'''Bond''': [[PreMortemOneLiner You earned it. You keep it, "old buddy."]]

--> '''Gun Dealer:''' What I sell goes out under license, strictly legal.
--> '''Devlin:''' (irritably) I'm offering a considerable amount, man. Surely that'll cover any legal technicalities.
--> '''Gun Dealer:''' You got the wrong guy, sorry.
* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'',
** In one episode where the crew have gone back on a deal, the villain's right-hand man comes by to make the pickup, Mal tries to talk him into returning the money. The man refuses, finishing his statement with words to the effect of "...and the last thing you'll see will be my blade." [[GoodIsNotNice Mal]] [[TurbineBlender kicks him into the engine intake]] and makes the same deal with his much-more pliable successor. The deal involved stealing medicine from sick people,and when Mal found out, he refused to stoop that low, even given his willingness to take illegal jobs.
** In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', this trope was only avoided by the Operative trying to appeal to Mal's morality from the beginning; as the Operative is quick to point out, if he had offered money, this would have been Mal's response. In other words, had he been offered money, Mal would have said Screw The Money I Have Rules, but when his morality was appealed to, he replied [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Screw The Rules, I Want Money]]. Mal ''hates'' "The Man".

* In''Series/TheDropout'', the Creator/{{Hulu}} series about the Theranos scandal, Elizabeth and Sunny are used to getting their way by dazzling people with what amounts to good marketing. But none of that means anything to Gary Yamamoto, the CMS inspector, whose only job is to inspect the lab. As a result, he issues a report that results in the shutdown of Theranos's blood testing facilities.

* In one ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode, "Jeopardy," the prosecutors discover that the presiding judge on a mass murder case was bribed by the defendant's rich family to ensure an acquittal. When they haul the crooked judge in for questioning, the District Attorney (who happens to also be a close friend) comes down personally to berate him for betraying his oath of office. When the judge whines that the defendant would have got off anyway because "They have so much money," the thoroughly disgusted DA remarks that shouldn't have mattered.
* ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'': Kelly refuses a chain store's attempt to buy her business for more than it's worth while keeping her on as a manager because they have a reputation for selling inferior products and not actually caring about extreme sports.

* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'':

* Even the ultra-avaricious Sergeant Bilko of ''Series/ThePhilSilversShow'' has been shown to have his limits. In one episode, 'Elvin Pelvin' (a thinly disguised Elvis clone) joins Bilko's regiment, and Bilko spends most of the episode trying to secretly record him singing. Eventually, Bilko manages to get a recording of Elvin singing... and the song turns out to be [[ObliviousGuiltSlinging a song he wrote praising Bilko for all his kindness]]. [[HeelRealization Upset at his hypocrisy]], Bilko destroys the record.

* In ''Series/SquidGame'', LoserProtagonist Gi-hun tries to leave the DeadlyGame offering millions in prize money, only to discover that his mother is SecretlyDying from diabetes because of him cancelling their insurance [[TheGamblingAddict to feed his gambling addiction]]. He goes to everyone he knows begging for money to pay for the treatment, including his ex-wife and her well-off new husband. The husband then offers Gi-hun the money he needs on the condition that he [[TakingTheKids stop trying to contact his daughter]], causing Gi-hun to punch him while shouting that money can't solve everything.

* In the "Beverly Hills Assault" episode of ''Series/TheATeam'', Hannibal Smith confronts the head of Intermode (the MonsterOfTheWeek) in his office. When said CorruptCorporateExecutive offers to hire the A-Team to do his dirty work, Hannibal says that he wouldn't take Intermode's money, but that he'd gladly tear them apart for free.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'':
** Michael Westen refuses money from both Carla and Strickler for doing what they wanted because it would turn him into a mercenary. Also, his grateful clients often offer him large cash rewards, but he usually takes signficantly less than they offer, especially if his clients need the money more than he does.
** When arguing with his mother, upset that she had to blackmail an asset, Michael gets upset.
--->'''Michael''': Do you think I do this for the ''money''?! ... People '''need''' me.
** He's also willing to accept alternative forms of payment, such as when a yogurt shop owner jokingly tells him that all she can give him is free yogurt. Michael, who ''loves'' yogurt, perks up and tells her they'll work something out.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'':
** [[spoiler:Mycroft Holmes]] offers John money to spy on the eponymous character. John, despite having just met Sherlock, refuses. This leads to a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} when he tells Sherlock about it later.
--->'''Sherlock''': Did he offer you money to spy on me?\\
'''John''': ...Yes.\\
'''Sherlock''': Did you take it?\\
'''John''': No.\\
'''Sherlock''': Pity, we could have split the fee. Think it through next time.
** Sherlock behaves in this manner as well -- when Sebastian Wilkes hires him in ''The Blind Banker'', he offers six figures up front. Sherlock's response?
--->'''Sherlock''': I don't need incentive, Sebastian.
** He's also only interested in the complexity or intrigue of the case offered, rather than the ability of his clients to pay him -- it's unlikely that the comic book nerds from ''A Scandal in Belgravia'' were able to come up with large stacks of cash, yet he chose them out of a sizable group of potential clients because their puzzle appealed to him the most.
* ''Series/NightCourt''; one episode had a snobbish foreign prince who offered Christine a quarter of a million dollars to be his bride, and her refusal caused him to up it to half a million, then a million. While she did say it was tempting, she turned it down.
* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'':
** One episode featured Bud dating Al's boss. She bought Al's approval but couldn't use the money to order Bud around.
** Another episode featured Kelly being engaged to a rich man. It all ended when Al and Peg learned he's a polygamist. The man's sister was interested in Bud but no amount of money would make Bud overlook the fact she's ugly.
* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' plays it straight; Logan and the entire Huntzberger Clan, for that matter. Richard sometimes crosses into this realm, but Emily's treatment of her maids is a good example of this.
* A variant of this is Jack Hodgins on ''Series/{{Bones}}''. He's a multimillionaire, yet doesn't think it puts him above the rules.
** Booth accuses him of it at one point, when he conceals his past association with a victim in order to be allowed to work on the case, but it was actually about trying to find his friend's killer, not about feeling entitled to do whatever he wants. Hodgins even submits his resignation over this, which immediately patches things between him and Booth (when Hodgins asks Booth if they need to talk about this anymore, Booth just orders him a drink and says "What are we, girls?"). After the case is successfully won, Carolina (the prosecutor) convinces Cam to tear up the letter.
** Later, when a serial killer/hacker targets the team, the bad guy targets Hodgins's billions. Hodgins then faces a dilemma: the siphoning of the money can be stopped, thus allowing him to keep his money, or he can allow the money to be taken and let the FBI track where it goes in hopes of catching the hacker. Naturally, he chooses the latter. He and Angela end up living paycheck-to-paycheck (despite her rich father). Then Bones and Booth decide to help them financially. Many episodes later, Angela manages to track down the money, only for Hodgins to refuse it and tell her to give it all away to charities, as he has grown accustomed to not having it and does not believe that billions can make them any happier than they are now. He does, however, end up at least somewhat rich again due to an invention he patented and sold, but nothing much changes really.
* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' has two examples in series two.
** First, Branson turns down Robert's offer of a bribe to abandon [[UptownGirl Sybil]].
** Then, Ethel [[DontSplitUsUp refuses to give her baby to Major Bryant's wealthy parents]] because she believes that a mother's love is more valuable than the privileged life they could give him.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Gunnery Sgt. Victor Galindez gave up a cushy private sector job when he decided he wasn't going to blame another Marine for a mishap actually caused by his future employer's prototype weapons system. Instead he began working at JAG.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'':
** In the flashbacks, Denton Weekes, one of the people sponsoring the creation of the Machine, finds Nathan's terms disagreeable. When he tries to threaten to cut Nathan's pay if he doesn't get better access, Alicia Corwin awkwardly says that Nathan is doing the entire multi-year, invaluable project for a grand total of one dollar. Nathan's smug smirk says it all.
** After Detective Szymanski [[spoiler:is murdered by [[DirtyCop HR]]]], Det. Beecher asks imprisoned mafia boss Elias if Szymanski was on his payroll. Elias says he offered Szymanski money, "and he threw it in our faces."
** Harold Finch discovers a politician they are protecting is in the pocket of Decima Technologies, who want him to pass legislation favourable to them. Finch offers to match their price from his ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount, but the politician refuses. He believes the legislation is the best thing for the country, and if he's making money on the side, well that's just a fringe benefit.
* ''Series/MrRobot'': a defining trait of the vigilante hacker Elliot, established in the very first scene, is that he cannot be bribed or bought.
* Done in Season 2 of ''Series/PrisonBreak'', when Henry Pope and Brad Bellick are both hauled in front of a review board for failing to stop the Fox River Eight from escaping the prison at the end of the previous season. Bellick is ultimately fired from his job as Head Correctional Officer on the spot, but the review board decides to let Pope keep his (rather lucrative) job as Senior Warden. Pope, AFatherToHisMen to the last, refuses to let Bellick go down alone--so he willingly ''resigns'' on the spot.
* In ''Series/ServantOfThePeople'', despite obviously being able to enrich himself now that he became president of his country, Vasiliy insists on remaining honest and living a modest lifestyle, and does not accept bribes. This also applies to the members of his team.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015''
** Played with in "Battlin' Jack" Murdock's decision not to throw the fight against Creel. He knew it would cost him his life but he could not let Matt down, wanting Matt to hear the crowd cheer for him one more time.
** Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson chose to start their own practice in Hell's Kitchen rather than get fast-tracked at Landman & Zack because even though L&Z would have paid better, they also were known for representing very shady clients. The final straw was when they saw their bosses seeking damages against a man who suffered terminal illness due to the shady practices of an L&Z client. Which was also a good thing in the long run since most of L&Z turns out to be in Wilson Fisk's pocket.
** Wilson Fisk tries to bribe Karen into silence after she leaks evidence of corruption at Union Allied to the media. James Wesley makes this clear before Karen kills him for threatening Matt's and Foggy's lives. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Bribes don't work on someone]] [[BribeBackfire who doesn't care about money]] and is determined to make those responsible for the attempts on her life pay for their wrongdoing. Karen makes this clear when Matt learns that she's been looking into Union Allied despite the payoff, and lectures her and Foggy for almost getting attacked outside Mrs. Cardenas' building:
--->'''Matt Murdock:''' [[AngerBornOfWorry This is what I'm talking about. There are things out there. You can't be doing this! You're gonna get yourselves hurt--]]\\
'''Karen Page:''' ''[angrily]'' No I--I have already been hurt by those bastards! You know what, I don't care what I signed or how much money they paid me to forget, I don't. [[{{Determinator}} And I'm not just going to stick my head in the sand and let it happen to somebody else because I am scared!]] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Which I am. A lot.]]\\
'''Foggy Nelson:''' ''[to Matt]'' If you could see her face, you'd know she means it.\\
'''Matt Murdock:''' Yeah, I kinda got that.
** Foggy is more in favor of trying to toe the line between making money and growing Nelson & Murdock with being ethical and helping people than Matt is. When James Wesley hires them to defend John Healy, Foggy is initially quick to accept simply due to the size of Wesley's check. Once he meets Healy, he quickly realizes Wesley wants them to defend an obviously guilty sociopath and he doesn't want anything to do with him, money be damned, only for Matt to overrule him because Matt wants to use Healy as a means of getting to Wesley's employer.
** Fisk finds himself dealing with this in a minor subplot late in season 3. While he's been in prison, "Rabbit in a Snowstorm", the painting he bought at Vanessa's art gallery, was seized by the federal government and has ended up in the hands of one elderly Polish woman, Esther Falb. Esther refuses to sell the painting to Fisk no matter how much money he puts in his offers. Fisk decides to pay her a personal visit to find out why. She [[BrutalHonesty bluntly tells]] Fisk that she refuses to sell because the painting originally belonged to her family, until it was stolen by [[UsefulNotes/TheGestapo the Nazis]] when they took her family to the Warsaw Ghetto and killed them. She also tells him straight to his face that she isn't fooled by [[CrocodileTears his claims of repentance]], despite [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Fisk towering over her]] and being [[BullyingADragon perfectly capable of killing her right there]]. Fisk ''actually relents'', leaving the painting with Mrs. Falb. This is a ManipulativeBastard who has killed others for less, yet even he can't help but admire [[{{Determinator}} her unbending will]]. [[spoiler:Sadly, though, this awesome moment ends up being undermined in the next episode when Dex goes out, kills Mrs. Falb offscreen, and steals the painting, out of a misguided belief that it's what Fisk wants him to do, much to Fisk's disappointment.]]
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}:'' This is the primary invocation of many of the team's clients. Since their personal and / or professional lives were destroyed by unashamed offenders who then got off without so much a scratch (via the [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney inverted trope]]), they care far more about justice for themselves and / or those close to them than about any monetary benefits.
* While still a greedy person, the Chairman of OCP in ''Series/RoboCopTheSeries'' is much more moral and willing to fix things his own greed caused when he learns how the people they affected suffered because of it. He was even willing to cancel a space flight upon learning its fuel had flaws than go through with it and endanger the astronauts on board.
* A variant in the ''Series/VeronicaMars'' episode "Cheaty Cheaty Bang Bang". Veronica is taking a class called "Future Business Leaders of America", and the teacher, Mr. Pope, tells the class he's invested his savings in a real estate venture done by Richard Casablancas (father of two of Veronica's classmates, Cassidy and Dick). While investigating Richard's trophy wife, Kendall, for infidelity, Veronica inadvertently stumbles on the fact that the real estate venture is a fraud. She goes to Mr. Pope to tell him to sell what he owns, but he points out he'd just be passing on the debt to some other poor sucker, and it wouldn't be right.
* ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'': Superintendent Bright delivers an excellent one in "Degüello" when a SleazyPolitician offers to get his terminally ill wife on test program for an experimental cancer drug in exchange for burying an investigation. When the politician remarks "What are friends for?", Bright coldly turns him down, saying:
-->"You are not my friend, and you never will be."
* This certainly applies to the title character of ''[[Series/MacGyver1985 MacGyver]]''.
** However, it also applies to his archnemesis Murdoc, despite the man being a ProfessionalKiller for hire. Illustrated in one of the dream sequence episodes set in TheWildWest, where Thornton, a wealthy rancher, hires Murdoc to scare Mac off of his land. When Murdoc kills one of Mac's farm hands, Thornton tries to call him off, since he'd specifically said that he wanted them removed, but not ''killed''.
-->'''Murdoc''': Well it's not really that simple. You see, I have a reputation for always completing my professional assignments. And I rather treasure that reputation.
** His childhood best friend, Jack Dalton, appears to be a subversion but is mostly a straight example. He's always looking for a quick buck and perfectly willing to break the law in the process. However, he'll back out immediately if the lawbreaking in question involves hurting people, or betraying his friends, or anything else that he considers beyond the pale (such as dealing drugs or selling out his country). This is the source of most of his problems: he's too greedy, impulsive, and prone to get-rich-quick schemes to stay on the straight and narrow path, but also too fundamentally decent to ever be a successful criminal, and therefore tends to end up with both sides of the law gunning for him.
* Humorously inverted in one of the first episodes of ''Series/{{Elementary}}'', where Sherlock Holmes is hired to solve the disappearance of a Wall Street executive. Holmes normally works for free, partly because of this trope and partly because he [[NonIdleRich doesn't need the money]]. However, since he loathes bankers, he warns them that he'll be charging twelve times his normal rate.
-->'''Watson''': What ''is'' your normal rate?
-->'''Holmes''': Oh, I don't have one. Remind me to make one up before I leave.
** It's also discussed by Sherlock's father in a later episode, who recognizes but downplays it:
-->'''Morland Holmes''': There are things in this life that money can't buy. But fewer, perhaps, than you'd like to believe.
* Exploited in Season 2 of ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'', when the titular biker gang is engaged in a turf war against a neo-Nazi movement. The leader and "respectable" face of the movement is a pragmatist and a criminal first and foremost, and as such has no problem forming a business partnership with the Sons' ArchEnemy, a Mexican biker gang, providing them with guns and assisting in their narcotics trade. His [[TheDragon Dragon]], however, is a white nationalist ideologue who would never approve of such a partnership, and therefore is left in the dark about it. The Sons revealing to him what his boss has been up to essentially destroys the neo-Nazi movement.
* ''Series/SirArthurConanDoylesTheLostWorld'': In "Absolute Power", a dying Professor Challenger has a dream where he gains amazing superpowers that quickly go to his head and make him incredibly arrogant and reckless. When his recklessness gets Veronica killed, his friends shun him. He desperately tries to at least get Marguerite on his side by conjuring up a huge diamond for her. Even though Marguerite is usually known for her greed, she rejects the diamond and calls him out for thinking a bribe could make her forget what happened to her friend.

* Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance":
-->"No money man can buy me love"

* Many games cause the player to invoke this (even if your character has a different view on the matter), by simply showering you with money. It gets worse in that any time you're asked to give away a substantial amount (for "charity" or otherwise), you'll typically end up with a more valuable reward. Frequently, you have no use for the cash in the first place; there's no penalty for losing it, because there's [[MoneyForNothing nothing to buy]], or because [[MoneySpider it's easy enough to get more]].

* Steven Heck in ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'' with Mike Thorton. In spite of being violent and psychotic, he is honorable. If you get him to like you, he tells you about how he turned down a 5 ''million'' dollar bribe to frame you for a murder, instead choosing to cut off the fingers and set alight the guy who made the offer. He only takes the bribe if you piss him off.

* In ''Manga/ASilentVoice'', Shoya intended to pay off the debt he put his mother into and then kill himself. Later, when his mother confronts him about his plans, she yells at him thinking she would care more about a debt than her son’s life. She threatens to (and accidentally does) burn the money he gave her if he didn’t promise not to kill himself.

* From ''Film/{{Chef}},'' Carl's friend Martin abandons his job as a ''sous chef'' in a high-end restaurant to join Carl working on a food truck simply because he had earlier promised that he'd join him as soon as Carl found a new kitchen to work in.

* In ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'', mercenaries cannot be bribed into working with mercenaries they hate, especially when the merc they hate in question is arguably unhinged in some way. For example, several mercs draw the line at working with [[AxCrazy]][[PsychoForHire]] "Unusually Ruthless" Reuban in the first game. Additionally, in [[Jagged Alliance 1]] some elite mercs cannot be bribed into staying if the player's death ratio, turnover ratio and/or failure rate gets too high:

* In ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'', mercenaries cannot be bribed into working with mercenaries they hate, especially when the merc they hate in question is unhinged in some way. For example, several mercs draw the line at working with [[PsychForHire]] "Unusually Ruthless" Reuban in the first game. Additionally, in [[Jagged Alliance 1]] some elite mercs cannot be bribed into staying if the player's death ratio, turnover ratio and/or failure rate gets too high:
--> '''Col. Leo Kelly''': If I wanted more money, I'd have told you straight out. I'm a professional. Greenbacks aren't going to change my mind!

* In ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'', Cal tries to bribe First Officer Murdoch to let him on a lifeboat. Murdoch's response: "Your money can't save you any more than it could save me."

** In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', this trope was only avoided by the Operative trying to appeal to Mal's morality from the beginning; as the Operative is quick to point out, if he had offered money, this would have been Mal's response. In other words, had he been offered money, Mal would have said Screw The Money I Have Rules, but when his morality was appealed to, he replied [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Screw The Rules, I Want Money]]. Mal ''hates'' TheMan.

** The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are globally renowned for being professional, efficient, and unyielding: while local police are more or less just that, and pretty individual, the RCMP is known as the group you do not want to mess with. Usually they're handing out traffic citations, or chilling out on horses, or just doing normal police work. But when they go full bore on a crime, they have ''enormous'' power, and ''extreme'' financing to back it up. If you only know them from their checkerboard hats and red tunics, and think them to be a joke, they will ''ruin you'', and no amount of money or power will deter them. [[HilarityEnsues But at least they're very polite about it.]]

Of course, it's not unknown for it to be a SecretTestOfCharacter with a SweetAndSourGrapes

** In one episode where the crew have gone back on a deal, the villain's right-hand man comes by to make the pickup, Mal tries to talk him into returning the money. The man refuses, finishing his statement with words to the effect of "...and the last thing you'll see will be my blade." [[GoodIsNotNice Mal]] [[TurbineBlender kicks him into the engine intake]] and makes the same deal with his much-more pliable successor.

** Played with in the episode "The Terrible Trio," which features a group of rich punks who have turned to crime out of boredom. When Batman takes down their leader, Warren, he tries to offer Batman a hefty bribe to let him go. Of course, Batman doesn't even listen, since besides the fact that he would never let a criminal buy his way out of justice, he is already plenty rich in his own right in his secret identity as Bruce Wayne. Though Bruce Timm, producer and creator of the DCAU, has listed "The Terrible Trio" as one of the worst episodes of the series, the final scene is quite memorable: after Batman has refused his bribe, the criminal claims it won't matter since he has every judge in Gotham "in [his] pocket" and will get "the best justice money can buy." There is then a quick cut to the thief being escorted into his jail cell, meeting his "roommate," and staring stupefied at the squalor around him. Apparently, it [[WhatAnIdiot didn't occur to him]] that his victims were even more rich, powerful, and well connected than he was.

* The stick-up man Omar Little on ''Series/TheWire'' lives by a moral code based on honor rather than accumulating wealth.
** He once stole a large amount of money from a hated rival and then burned it on the spot rather than keeping it.

* In ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 4'', at the end of the second stage Mr. Y shows up and tries to buy a ceasefire with the heroes with a BriefcaseFullOfMoney. Axel performs a Grand Upper (a flaming uppercut) on the briefcase and he and the heroes jump out of the tower as Mr. Y and his goons fire at them.