"Grandma cheated whenever she could. She cheated because it was a much more scientific and surer way of winning than trusting to luck"
About this Quote
Sherman’s intent is mischievous but pointed. He’s not praising dishonesty so much as exposing how easily we dress up self-interest in respectable terms. Calling cheating “scientific” parodies the mid-century faith in systems, expertise, and measurable results - the era’s belief that the smart way is the right way. It’s the logic of the hustle before we had a word for it: if the goal is winning, then ethics become a decorative accessory, not the machinery.
The subtext is family-scale satire with adult bite: we learn our moral rules from the people who are supposed to embody them, and sometimes those people teach a more cynical curriculum. Sherman, a musician-comedian who specialized in turning everyday American life into singable farce, aims at the hypocrisy baked into polite culture. The line also needles a broader American tendency to admire outcomes more than processes. “Winning” becomes the only proof that matters, and “luck” becomes a sucker’s excuse.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sherman, Allan. (2026, January 17). Grandma cheated whenever she could. She cheated because it was a much more scientific and surer way of winning than trusting to luck. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/grandma-cheated-whenever-she-could-she-cheated-38749/
Chicago Style
Sherman, Allan. "Grandma cheated whenever she could. She cheated because it was a much more scientific and surer way of winning than trusting to luck." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/grandma-cheated-whenever-she-could-she-cheated-38749/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Grandma cheated whenever she could. She cheated because it was a much more scientific and surer way of winning than trusting to luck." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/grandma-cheated-whenever-she-could-she-cheated-38749/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.








