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About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker jokes about committing crimes before birth to avoid leaving fingerprints.
In plain terms
He claims he stole things as a fetus to avoid getting fingerprints.
What can you take from it?
Planning ahead can seem absurd when taken too literally.

Where it applies

  • planning ahead
  • childhood stories
  • fantasy

Putting it to work

  • ethical humor
  • logic jokes
  • crime comedy

Questions to consider

  • When do you start preparing for adult consequences?
  • Is planning always better than acting?

Another view

The premise is biologically impossible and relies on literal wordplay.

More from Steven Wright

  1. When I turned two I was really anxious, because I'd doubled my age in a year. I thought, if this keeps up, by the time I'm six I'll be ninety.

    Permalink to quote #151
  2. When I was a little kid we had a sand box. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child... eventually.

    Permalink to quote #153
  3. When I get real bored, I like to drive downtown and get a great parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if I'm leaving.

    Permalink to quote #150

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