Sheri S. Tepper: Counting Receipts

Posted by admin on Saturday, November 5, 2022

Meaning of Sheri S. Tepper Money Quote: saying everyone sees good fortune as expected and routine and bad like a retailer tallying daily receipts. Sheri S. Tepper said:
 

 

“Mankind accepts good fortune as his due, but when bad occurs, he thinks it was aimed at him, done to him, a hex, a curse, a punishment by his deity for some transgression, as though his god were a petty storekeeper, counting up the day’s receipts” — Sheri S. Tepper

 

 

In this quote, Sheri S. Tepper is commenting on human nature and how people perceive good and bad events in their lives. The best interpretation is that she is suggesting that while people are quick to see good luck or prosperity as rightfully theirs, they are also prone to view misfortune or setbacks as personal attacks directed specifically at them, perhaps as divine punishment for some wrongdoing.

She likens this mindset to a petty storekeeper who interprets daily sales as a reflection of each customer’s moral character. Overall, Tepper seems to be criticizing the tendency for people to take credit for successes but blame outside forces, like God, for failures rather than accepting life’s ups and downs with more impartiality and perspective.