People
When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord, in his wisdom, didn't work that way. So I just stole one and asked him to forgive me.
— Emo Philips
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
A joke about answered prayers and workarounds. The speaker prayed for a bicycle, concluded that heaven doesn't deliver that way, then took one and asked forgiveness afterward. The punchline treats theft as a practical fix and forgiveness as an easy follow-up.
Context reviewed