--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is ridiculous. He was a…" description: "\"“ This is ridiculous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who felt like a schoolboy on his first real date. One on which he was going to get really, reall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg" --- # This is ridiculous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who… ![“This is ridiculous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who felt like a schoolboy on his first real date. One on which he was going to get really, really lucky. Better to go back topside, he figured, and get them back to the half-falling-half-climbing-down-the-galley-stairs, ripping-their-clothes-off…” quote by Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg) > ““ This is ridiculous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who felt like a schoolboy on his first real date. One on which he was going to get really, really lucky. Better to go back topside, he figured, and get them back to the half-falling-half-climbing-down-the-galley-stairs, ripping-their-clothes-off scenario he’d initially envisioned. He’d do well enough in that instance. He turned around and bumped straight into Kerry, who stood just behind him, wrapped once again in the blanket. He took one look at it, then lifted his gaze to hers and grinned. “We’re quite a pair, we are, Starfish. One minute all but tearing each other’s clothes off with our teeth, the next, with five seconds to actually plan something, you’d think neither of us had ever done the horizontal folk dance.”” [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man anticipates a romantic encounter, imagines a chaotic scenario, then humorously acknowledges the awkwardness of the moment. **In simple terms:** He expects excitement but ends up in a funny, clumsy situation. Key Takeaway Embrace spontaneity and humor in awkward moments. Themes romance humor awkwardness expectation reality Mood playful lighthearted reflective Type anecdotal humorous conversational When to use this quote - first dates - unexpected encounters - social interactions Key Concepts human connection social anxiety improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle unexpected awkwardness? - What role does humor play in tension? A Different Perspective The quote may exaggerate for comedic effect, not reflecting typical experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I remember auditioning for record labels and having them tell me, 'Well, the country-radio demographic is the thirty-five-year-old female housewife. Give us a song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-remember-auditioning-for-record-labels-and-having-them-tell-me-well/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“If the second date seems to be going well, it's pretty much a given that by dessert I'll renounce my faith”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/if-the-second-date-seems-to-be-going-well-it-s-pretty-much-a-given/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [“She rolls her eyes. 'Will, this date is going to be my suck for the day if you don't become a little more talkative.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/she-rolls-her-eyes-will-this-date-is-going-to-be-my-suck-for-the-day/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [I've never dated. I can say this honestly: I don't know what it's like to date. But also, how am I going to date?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/i-ve-never-dated-i-can-say-this-honestly-i-don-t-know-what-it-s-like/) [Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/) > [This is wat my date is going to wear for dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-wat-my-date-is-going-to-wear-for-dance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For all intents and purposes, we’ll pretend this is a date. We’re going out to dinner and I suppose the place has a dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-tenorio/for-all-intents-and-purposes-we-ll-pretend-this-is-a-date-we-re-going/) [Dee Tenorio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-tenorio/) > [For me a great date will be going on jet skiing or other adventure sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amyra-dastur/for-me-a-great-date-will-be-going-on-jet-skiing-or-other-adventure/) [Amyra Dastur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amyra-dastur/) > [Going to the movies with someone doesn't mean you're going on a date, you can be going as best friends or something. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/going-to-the-movies-with-someone-doesn-t-mean-you-re-going-on-a-date/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [“Cam looked away, laughing under his breath. "Okay. How about Wednesday?" "This Wednesday?" "Nope." "The following Wednesday?" "Yep." Counting the days down, I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/cam-looked-away-laughing-under-his-breath-okay-how-about-wednesday/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) > [“I thought you didn’t sit,” she said. The dimple appeared. “The way I’ve worked it out, this is the closest thing to a first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruthie-knox/i-thought-you-didn-t-sit-she-said-the-dimple-appeared-the-way-i-ve/) [Ruthie Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruthie-knox/) > [“At twenty-one, Mark had been long and leanly muscled, not a spare inch on him. Rainey’s gaze ran down his thirty-four-year-old body and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/at-twenty-one-mark-had-been-long-and-leanly-muscled-not-a-spare-inch/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“Are you sure you’re not too tired?” Taylor taunted, lacing her fingers through his hair and pulling him between her legs. “Although you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/are-you-sure-you-re-not-too-tired-taylor-taunted-lacing-her-fingers/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [“Couldn’t thirty-nine-year-olds just be old and tired and not talk about it constantly? Having”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/couldn-t-thirty-nine-year-olds-just-be-old-and-tired-and-not-talk/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“thirty-year legal career. His robes were tossed on the couch behind them. His desk served as a workstation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/thirty-year-legal-career-his-robes-were-tossed-on-the-couch-behind/) [Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/) > [Inside every seventy-year-old is a thirty-five-year-old asking, 'What happened?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/inside-every-seventy-year-old-is-a-thirty-five-year-old-asking-what/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) ## More by Donna Kauffman > [“She was every bit of everything he remembered about her, all at once and all at the same time. That was Kerry McCrae in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/she-was-every-bit-of-everything-he-remembered-about-her-all-at-once/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“Kerry had headed up the back stairs of the pub, and even as exhausted as she was, she’d still found it impossible to wipe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/kerry-had-headed-up-the-back-stairs-of-the-pub-and-even-as-exhausted/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“I got waylaid by another of your throng of supporters and well-wishers so you only have yourself to blame.” “So I heard,” he said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/i-got-waylaid-by-another-of-your-throng-of-supporters-and-well/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“What’s so amusing, wench?” came a gravel-throated voice from behind her, followed by a gentle swat across her sheet-covered backside. “Just plotting my mutiny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/what-s-so-amusing-wench-came-a-gravel-throated-voice-from-behind-her/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“He was very tall, with long arms and legs that would be gawky and awkward on anyone else, but were graceful and elegant on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/he-was-very-tall-with-long-arms-and-legs-that-would-be-gawky-and/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“A clearing of a gravelly throat pulled him from his thoughts. He turned and looked at Thomas, the boat captain, who was seventy if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/a-clearing-of-a-gravelly-throat-pulled-him-from-his-thoughts-he/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“Cooper,” she said. “Cooper Jax.” As if saying his name would someone break the spell, vanquish the mirage she was still faintly hoping she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/cooper-she-said-cooper-jax-as-if-saying-his-name-would-someone-break/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“I accept your lovely invitation,” he said, then added, “I only have one caveat.” Her relief turned to wary suspicion as she eyed him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/i-accept-your-lovely-invitation-he-said-then-added-i-only-have-one/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“\*\*“I get it,” he said. “I was supposed to give you your space. I didn’t want to. So...I compromised. Only, you frustrate the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/i-get-it-he-said-i-was-supposed-to-give-you-your-space-i-didn-t-want/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“Running halfway around the world apparently hadn’t been far enough to leave him and all of what had transpired between her and the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/running-halfway-around-the-world-apparently-hadn-t-been-far-enough-to/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“She shielded her eyes from the sun, her truck keys dangling down the back of her free hand, as Cooper lowered the passenger window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/she-shielded-her-eyes-from-the-sun-her-truck-keys-dangling-down-the/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“I can’t believe I’m thirty-one-years-old, lying on my back on a pier in broad daylight--in my own hometown, I might add--trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/i-can-t-believe-i-m-thirty-one-years-old-lying-on-my-back-on-a-pier/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“Colm sighed... -She's quite beautiful. Like a fairy and a goddess all wrapped into one. -How very... poetic of you. ... He felt a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/colm-sighed-she-s-quite-beautiful-like-a-fairy-and-a-goddess-all/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“She pondered the best way to handle the laundry situation after they got back to dock. If she thought she’d been a bit pink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/she-pondered-the-best-way-to-handle-the-laundry-situation-after-they/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“You’ve made yourself quite at home, I see.” “You’ve a nice one here, Kerry,” he said quite sincerely, his smile still sparkling with equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/you-ve-made-yourself-quite-at-home-i-see-you-ve-a-nice-one-here-kerry/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) [Explore all 175 Donna Kauffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) ## More Thirty quotes > [There's more than 1700 emails out of the thirty three thousand Hillary Clinton emails that we've published, just about Libya. It's not that Libya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/there-s-more-than-1700-emails-out-of-the-thirty-three-thousand/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [I've always been a late bloomer in some ways, and extremely precocious in other ways. When I was twenty I was living in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-ve-always-been-a-late-bloomer-in-some-ways-and-extremely-precocious/) [Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I really hate those Internet freaks who take each thirty minute bundle of joy and turn it into a cult game of Where's Wally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/i-really-hate-those-internet-freaks-who-take-each-thirty-minute/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Oh why was I born for this time? Before one is thirty to know more dead than living people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-asquith/oh-why-was-i-born-for-this-time-before-one-is-thirty-to-know-more/) Cynthia Asquith > [ \[When her daughter suggested the President refer in his conversation with foreign dignitaries about lawn care to 'fertilizer' instead of to 'manure':\] But remember,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-truman/when-her-daughter-suggested-the-president-refer-in-his-conversation/) [Bess Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-truman/) > [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“At thirty either you are perfect or nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aporva-kala/at-thirty-either-you-are-perfect-or-nothing/) [Aporva Kala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aporva-kala/) > [The big difference between human happiness and sadness? Thirty-seven freakin' vibrations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-big-difference-between-human-happiness-and-sadness-thirty-seven/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I started this song I was still thirty-three The age that Mozart died and sweet Jesus was set free Keats and Shelley too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/when-i-started-this-song-i-was-still-thirty-three-the-age-that-mozart/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [No person is ever good for much, that hasn't been swept off their feet by enthusiasm between ages twenty and thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/no-person-is-ever-good-for-much-that-hasn-t-been-swept-off-their-feet/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [For me, the most relevant factor in my ability to perform well on the rock has to do with my love of climbing. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-hill/for-me-the-most-relevant-factor-in-my-ability-to-perform-well-on-the/) [Lynn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-hill/) Browse all 1,493 Thirty quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ This is ridiculous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who felt like a schoolboy on his first real date. One on which he was going to get really, really lucky. Better to go back topside, he figured, and get them back to the half-falling-half-climbing-down-the-galley-stairs, ripping-their-clothes-off scenario he’d initially envisioned. He’d do well enough in that instance. He turned around and bumped straight into Kerry, who stood just behind him, wrapped once again in the blanket. He took one look at it, then lifted his gaze to hers and grinned. “We’re quite a pair, we are, Starfish. One minute all but tearing each other’s clothes off with our teeth, the next, with five seconds to actually plan something, you’d think neither of us had ever done the horizontal folk dance.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Kauffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-year-old-man-who-felt-like-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Thirty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-year-old-man-who-felt-like-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/donna-kauffman-2275_thirty_this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-y_3087500.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is ridiculous. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who felt like a schoolboy on his first real date. One…” — Donna Kauffman", "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": "Donna Kauffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“ This is ridiculous. He was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-year-old-man-who-felt-like-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/this-is-ridiculous-he-was-a-thirty-two-year-old-man-who-felt-like-a/#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 } } ] } ```