---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I removed the freeway from its temporal…"
description: "\"I removed the freeway from its temporal context. Overpasses, cloverleafs, exit ramps took on the personality of Mayan ruins for me. Without destination..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg"
---

#  I removed the freeway from its temporal context…

![“I removed the freeway from its temporal context. Overpasses, cloverleafs, exit ramps took on the personality of Mayan ruins for me. Without destination, without cessation, my run was often silent and empty; there were no increments, no arbitrary graduations reducing time to functional units. I…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg)

> “I removed the freeway from its temporal context. Overpasses, cloverleafs, exit ramps took on the personality of Mayan ruins for me. Without destination, without cessation, my run was often silent and empty; there were no increments, no arbitrary graduations reducing time to functional units. I abstracted and purified.”

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## About This Quote

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

The author removes a freeway from its functional context, seeing it as ancient ruins, creating an abstract, destination‑less run.

**In simple terms:** He reimagines a freeway as timeless ruins, running without goal.

Key Takeaway

Find meaning beyond conventional purpose.

Themes

creativity abstraction travel mindfulness

Mood

contemplative inspired

Type

philosophical creative

When to use this quote

- running
- creative writing
- mindful walking

Key Concepts

personal transformation philosophical reflection urban exploration

Questions to Reflect On

- What structures give your life meaning?
- How can routine become art?

A Different Perspective

Loss of purpose may feel empty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [ The real leadership of the opposition is never, ever gonna do anything but continue to ramp up efforts to stop \[Donald\] Trump or destroy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-real-leadership-of-the-opposition-is-never-ever-gonna-do-anything/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [There's so many problems in our world, so much negativity. Don't worry about the darkness - turn on the light and the darkness automatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/there-s-so-many-problems-in-our-world-so-much-negativity-don-t-worry/)

[David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/)

> [The press box at Wrigley Field in Chicago is an extended narrow shed, two rows deep, that is precariously bolted to the iron rafters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/the-press-box-at-wrigley-field-in-chicago-is-an-extended-narrow-shed/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [“An old fashioned outfit is not a costume, it's a comedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-old-fashioned-outfit-is-not-a-costume-it-s-a-comedy/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Better ramp up your virtual relationships. Companies think omni channel is the correct answer. This is not enough. The information explosion for consumers makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-silverstein/better-ramp-up-your-virtual-relationships-companies-think-omni/)

[Michael J. Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-silverstein/)

> [ Even when you go up ramp, and you think about \[Franklin D. Roosevelt\] wheeling himself up, you know, got a little cigarette holder in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/even-when-you-go-up-ramp-and-you-think-about-franklin-d-roosevelt/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [A lot of the biking sequences in the beginning, like going down the steps and over the ramp, I of course didn't do any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-d-linz/a-lot-of-the-biking-sequences-in-the-beginning-like-going-down-the/)

[Alex D. Linz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-d-linz/)

> [When you're a short actor you stand on apple boxes, you walk on a ramp. When you're a short star everybody else walks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/when-you-re-a-short-actor-you-stand-on-apple-boxes-you-walk-on-a-ramp/)

[Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/)

> [I love being photographed, I love the ramp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nafisa-joseph/i-love-being-photographed-i-love-the-ramp/)

[Nafisa Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nafisa-joseph/)

> [Ramp skating has become the most popular televised form of skating because they can constrain it. They can judge it based on what's happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-deitch/ramp-skating-has-become-the-most-popular-televised-form-of-skating/)

[Jeffrey Deitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-deitch/)

> [Surrender. That's an interesting term. We tend to see all forms of surrender as negative--war, sports, highway on-ramps. You'd never hear us describing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wisner/surrender-that-s-an-interesting-term-we-tend-to-see-all-forms-of/)

[Franz Wisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wisner/)

> [I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. There will be no easy off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-will-veto-any-effort-to-get-rid-of-those-automatic-spending-cuts-to/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Best hope for what, Catman? Death? Bankruptcy? You know, my life was going along…well, rather crappily, to be honest, but at least no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/best-hope-for-what-catman-death-bankruptcy-you-know-my-life-was-going/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [And it wasn't so much the medal, it was stepping out of the ramp during the Opening Ceremony. Man, I took a step back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-alvarez/and-it-wasn-t-so-much-the-medal-it-was-stepping-out-of-the-ramp/)

[Eddy Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-alvarez/)

## More by Tom Robbins

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

[Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## More Arbitrary quotes

> [It is irresponsible to set an arbitrary cap on how much therapy a Medicare beneficiary can receive. It ignores the health needs of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/it-is-irresponsible-to-set-an-arbitrary-cap-on-how-much-therapy-a/)

[John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

Edward Einhorn

> [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/not-to-be-offensive-not-to-be-capricious-not-to-be-arbitrary-not-to/)

[William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/)

> [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [Habit is altogether too arbitrary a master for me to submit to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/habit-is-altogether-too-arbitrary-a-master-for-me-to-submit-to/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [Contrary to what certain governments say, human rights are universal. Arbitrary detention, torture and discrimination hurt the human dignity of anybody, whatever his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/contrary-to-what-certain-governments-say-human-rights-are-universal/)

[Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/)

> [What causes adolescents to rebel is not the assertion of authority but the arbitrary use of power, with little explanation of the rules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/what-causes-adolescents-to-rebel-is-not-the-assertion-of-authority/)

[Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/)

> [There is something on earth greater than arbitrary or despotic power. The lightning has its power, and the whirlwind has its power, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/there-is-something-on-earth-greater-than-arbitrary-or-despotic-power/)

[Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/)

> [“nothing is arbitrary in this whole world, there is a good reason behind each and everything…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-kumar/nothing-is-arbitrary-in-this-whole-world-there-is-a-good-reason/)

Nikhil Kumar

> [Fundamentally, adopting rules without any estimate of the impact is the height of arbitrary decision-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-rielly/fundamentally-adopting-rules-without-any-estimate-of-the-impact-is/)

[Michael O'Rielly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-rielly/)

> [No arbitrary regulation, no act of the legislature, can add anything to the capital of the country; it can only force it into artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ramsay-mcculloch/no-arbitrary-regulation-no-act-of-the-legislature-can-add-anything-to/)

John Ramsay McCulloch

> [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

Browse all 529 Arbitrary quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I removed the freeway from its temporal context. Overpasses, cloverleafs, exit ramps took on the personality of Mayan ruins for me. Without destination, without cessation, my run was often silent and empty; there were no increments, no arbitrary graduations reducing time to functional units. I abstracted and purified.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Robbins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal-context-overpasses/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arbitrary"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal-context-overpasses/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/tom-robbins-169_arbitrary_i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal_1773554.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I removed the freeway from its temporal context. Overpasses, cloverleafs, exit ramps took on the personality…” — Tom Robbins",
                "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": "Tom Robbins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I removed the freeway from its...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal-context-overpasses/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-removed-the-freeway-from-its-temporal-context-overpasses/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
