---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on…"
description: "\"“If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on the threads of Joseph’s mantle, Potiphar’s wife would never have been able to tear it, present it as evidence..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg"
---

#  If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on the threads of…

![“If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on the threads of Joseph’s mantle, Potiphar’s wife would never have been able to tear it, present it as evidence to Potiphar that Joseph attacked her, gotten him thrown in prison, and let him be in a position to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, win his confidence…” quote by Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg)

> ““If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on the threads of Joseph’s mantle, Potiphar’s wife would never have been able to tear it, present it as evidence to Potiphar that Joseph attacked her, gotten him thrown in prison, and let him be in a position to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, win his confidence, advise him to store seven years of grain, and save his family, the seventy original Jews from whom Jesus came. We owe our salvation to a cheap Egyptian tailor.””

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A small, seemingly insignificant act can set off a chain of events that changes history profoundly.

**In simple terms:** Minor actions can have massive consequences.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the impact of small deeds.

Themes

cause and effect faith history destiny

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

historical theological

When to use this quote

- personal decisions
- business strategies
- policy making
- ethical choices

Key Concepts

divine providence historical causality unintended consequences

Questions to Reflect On

- How do everyday choices shape larger outcomes?
- Can we foresee the ripple effects of our actions?

A Different Perspective

Even minor acts can be misinterpreted, leading to unintended harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chain of events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-of-events/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [God 's plan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-plan-2/) [God 's will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-will/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews/) [Salvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvation/)

## Related quotes

> [“\_I\_ boil it." Joseph entered last, closing the door behind them. "Last time, you burnt it." Connor glared at Joseph. "We were attacked! What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-clare/i-boil-it-joseph-entered-last-closing-the-door-behind-them-last-time/)

[Pamela Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-clare/)

> [They played Boston. They played at the Boston Tea Party and through an amazing chain of events I got to hang out with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-richman/they-played-boston-they-played-at-the-boston-tea-party-and-through-an/)

[Jonathan Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-richman/)

> [Changing eating habits in the North is an important link in the chain of events needed to create environmentally sustainable development that meets people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walden-bello/changing-eating-habits-in-the-north-is-an-important-link-in-the-chain/)

[Walden Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walden-bello/)

> [The success that comes from my books is not something I feel very comfortable with. Past a certain point you have to accept the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-success-that-comes-from-my-books-is-not-something-i-feel-very/)

[Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/)

> [Life is not a chain of events but an area-something spreading out from a hidden centre and welling at once toward all points of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-graham/life-is-not-a-chain-of-events-but-an-area-something-spreading-out/)

[Stephen Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-graham/)

> [Life might just be an absurd, even crude, chain of events and nothing more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/life-might-just-be-an-absurd-even-crude-chain-of-events-and-nothing/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The face of the angel of history is turned toward the past. Where we perceived a chain of events, he sees a single catastrophe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/the-face-of-the-angel-of-history-is-turned-toward-the-past-where-we/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [In short, the early receivers of the new money in this market chain of events gain at the expense of those who receive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/in-short-the-early-receivers-of-the-new-money-in-this-market-chain-of/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [Adventures are funny things. Many are merely happy accidents—a single spark that ignites an unexpected chain of events. But some adventures are meant for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thomas-batson/adventures-are-funny-things-many-are-merely-happy-accidents-a-single/)

[Wayne Thomas Batson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thomas-batson/)

> [The decisions you make today matter. Every decision points your life in the direction you are about to travel. No decision is an isolated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-decisions-you-make-today-matter-every-decision-points-your-life/)

[Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/)

> [If I haven't made myself clear, this worrisome chain of events describes the game of the nineteenth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/if-i-haven-t-made-myself-clear-this-worrisome-chain-of-events/)

[John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/)

> [“In my life's chain of events nothing was accidental. Everything happened according to an inner need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-my-life-s-chain-of-events-nothing-was-accidental-everything/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an "objective correlative"; in other words, a set of objects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-only-way-of-expressing-emotion-in-the-form-of-art-is-by-finding/)

[T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/)

> [Whatever happens, they say afterwards, it must have been fate. People are always a little confused about this, as they are in the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/whatever-happens-they-say-afterwards-it-must-have-been-fate-people/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [ In one point of view, we, the abolitionists and colored people, should meet \[the Dred Scott\] decision, unlooked for and monstrous as it appears,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-one-point-of-view-we-the-abolitionists-and-colored-people-should/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

## More by Peter Kreeft

> [“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-strongly-suspect-that-if-we-saw-all-the-difference-even-the-tiniest/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The self is like a baseball. Throw it back to the divine pitcher who pitched it to you in the first place, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-self-is-like-a-baseball-throw-it-back-to-the-divine-pitcher-who/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [How will the Tower of Babel be undone? How will we understand each other in Heaven? Will we all speak English or Dutch or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/how-will-the-tower-of-babel-be-undone-how-will-we-understand-each/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Humility is the marriage bond of Heaven. Pride is the frigidity of Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-the-marriage-bond-of-heaven-pride-is-the-frigidity-of-hell/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“Socrates says we must be either fools because we think we are wise, or wise because we know we are fools. Christ says we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/socrates-says-we-must-be-either-fools-because-we-think-we-are-wise-or/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? Science asks what and how, philosophy asks why, myth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/science-only-answers-the-question-how-does-it-work-or-at-most-what-s/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most compelling evidence for God's existence is Christ. If God does not exist, then Christ was the biggest fool who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-compelling-evidence-for-god-s-existence-is-christ-if-god/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/one-moment-of-prayer-of-weak-worship-confused-contrition-tepid/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's interventions are miracles: events that cannot happen by merely natural agents but only by a supernatural agent. They no more interfere with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-interventions-are-miracles-events-that-cannot-happen-by-merely/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“And what is consensus? It means a majority of the individuals in a society coming together and agreeing to make their values into laws,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/and-what-is-consensus-it-means-a-majority-of-the-individuals-in-a/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [We can't believe what we believe to be untrue, and we can't love what we believe to be unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-can-t-believe-what-we-believe-to-be-untrue-and-we-can-t-love-what/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

[Explore all 361 Peter Kreeft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## More Chain of events quotes

> [They played Boston. They played at the Boston Tea Party and through an amazing chain of events I got to hang out with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-richman/they-played-boston-they-played-at-the-boston-tea-party-and-through-an/)

[Jonathan Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-richman/)

> [Whatever happens, they say afterwards, it must have been fate. People are always a little confused about this, as they are in the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/whatever-happens-they-say-afterwards-it-must-have-been-fate-people/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an "objective correlative"; in other words, a set of objects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-only-way-of-expressing-emotion-in-the-form-of-art-is-by-finding/)

[T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/)

> [“In my life's chain of events nothing was accidental. Everything happened according to an inner need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-my-life-s-chain-of-events-nothing-was-accidental-everything/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If I haven't made myself clear, this worrisome chain of events describes the game of the nineteenth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/if-i-haven-t-made-myself-clear-this-worrisome-chain-of-events/)

[John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/)

> [The decisions you make today matter. Every decision points your life in the direction you are about to travel. No decision is an isolated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-decisions-you-make-today-matter-every-decision-points-your-life/)

[Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/)

> [Adventures are funny things. Many are merely happy accidents—a single spark that ignites an unexpected chain of events. But some adventures are meant for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thomas-batson/adventures-are-funny-things-many-are-merely-happy-accidents-a-single/)

[Wayne Thomas Batson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thomas-batson/)

> [In short, the early receivers of the new money in this market chain of events gain at the expense of those who receive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/in-short-the-early-receivers-of-the-new-money-in-this-market-chain-of/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [The face of the angel of history is turned toward the past. Where we perceived a chain of events, he sees a single catastrophe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/the-face-of-the-angel-of-history-is-turned-toward-the-past-where-we/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [Life might just be an absurd, even crude, chain of events and nothing more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/life-might-just-be-an-absurd-even-crude-chain-of-events-and-nothing/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Life is not a chain of events but an area-something spreading out from a hidden centre and welling at once toward all points of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-graham/life-is-not-a-chain-of-events-but-an-area-something-spreading-out/)

[Stephen Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-graham/)

> [The success that comes from my books is not something I feel very comfortable with. Past a certain point you have to accept the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-success-that-comes-from-my-books-is-not-something-i-feel-very/)

[Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/)

> [Changing eating habits in the North is an important link in the chain of events needed to create environmentally sustainable development that meets people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walden-bello/changing-eating-habits-in-the-north-is-an-important-link-in-the-chain/)

[Walden Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walden-bello/)

> [ In one point of view, we, the abolitionists and colored people, should meet \[the Dred Scott\] decision, unlooked for and monstrous as it appears,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-one-point-of-view-we-the-abolitionists-and-colored-people-should/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [It's much harder to say "I'm going to kill three of the biggest characters in your universe in a gruesome bloodbath." There can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-remender/it-s-much-harder-to-say-i-m-going-to-kill-three-of-the-biggest/)

[Rick Remender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-remender/)

[Browse all 23 Chain of events quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-of-events/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on the threads of Joseph’s mantle, Potiphar’s wife would never have been able to tear it, present it as evidence to Potiphar that Joseph attacked her, gotten him thrown in prison, and let him be in a position to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, win his confidence, advise him to store seven years of grain, and save his family, the seventy original Jews from whom Jesus came. We owe our salvation to a cheap Egyptian tailor.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Kreeft"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on-the-threads-of-joseph-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chain of events"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on-the-threads-of-joseph-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0a/peter-kreeft-820_chain-of-events_if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on_1433130.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated on the threads of Joseph’s mantle, Potiphar’s wife would never have…” — Peter Kreeft",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter Kreeft",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If one Egyptian tailor hadn’t cheated...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on-the-threads-of-joseph-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/if-one-egyptian-tailor-hadn-t-cheated-on-the-threads-of-joseph-s/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
