--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we have here is an unexpected…" description: "\"What we have here is an unexpected touchdown on the runway of the heart.\" — Tom Robbins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg" --- # What we have here is an unexpected touchdown on the runway… ![“What we have here is an unexpected touchdown on the runway of the heart.” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg) > “What we have here is an unexpected touchdown on the runway of the heart.” [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. An unexpected emotional connection is likened to an unplanned touchdown on a runway, highlighting surprise and intimacy. **In simple terms:** Unexpected love feels like a sudden landing. Key Takeaway Embrace surprising connections. Themes love surprise intimacy Mood playful romantic Type metaphorical inspirational When to use this quote - first dates - reunions - unexpected meetings Key Concepts metaphor emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected “touchdowns” have you experienced? - How do you handle sudden emotional shifts? A Different Perspective May overlook practical consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runway/) [Runway Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runway-heart-716493/) [Touchdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touchdown/) [Touchdown Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touchdown-runway-716492/) [Touchdowns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touchdowns/) [Unexpected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected/) [Unexpected Touchdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected-touchdown-716494/) ## Related quotes > [To see the glory in sport, where somebody comes from behind and does something, sinks a shot in the last second or throws a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/to-see-the-glory-in-sport-where-somebody-comes-from-behind-and-does/) [Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/) > [I was watching the Superbowl with my 92 year old grandfather. The team scored a touchdown. They showed the instant replay. He thought they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-was-watching-the-superbowl-with-my-92-year-old-grandfather-the-team/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I actually called a touchdown on national TV in the NFL while going to the bathroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/i-actually-called-a-touchdown-on-national-tv-in-the-nfl-while-going/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [If the quarterback throws the ball in the endzone and the wide receiver catches it, it's a touchdown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-madden/if-the-quarterback-throws-the-ball-in-the-endzone-and-the-wide/) [John Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-madden/) > [Emmitt Smith is a great running back. One of the things I like about him along with Edgerrin James is that neither one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-campbell/emmitt-smith-is-a-great-running-back-one-of-the-things-i-like-about/) [Earl Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-campbell/) > [Score a touchdown, kiss your tattoo. Kaepernicking!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-kaepernick/score-a-touchdown-kiss-your-tattoo-kaepernicking/) [Colin Kaepernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-kaepernick/) > [I'm interested in impacting people with life lessons that they can pass on. A touchdown is only remembered for one Sunday, but a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-clayton/i-m-interested-in-impacting-people-with-life-lessons-that-they-can/) [Michael Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-clayton/) > [Pro sports are a tough business--whether you're in baseball, football, or something else. But when you're running around the bases after hitting a home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-campanella/pro-sports-are-a-tough-business-whether-you-re-in-baseball-football/) [Roy Campanella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-campanella/) > [I look at the field, and I think about the boy who just made the touchdown. I think that these are the glory days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-look-at-the-field-and-i-think-about-the-boy-who-just-made-the/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [They're in the red zone. They're in the last 20 yards, and you can't let them cross that goal line. You can't let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/they-re-in-the-red-zone-they-re-in-the-last-20-yards-and-you-can-t/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [A dunk is nice because it can create momentum, but it's not as good as scoring a touchdown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gates/a-dunk-is-nice-because-it-can-create-momentum-but-it-s-not-as-good-as/) [Antonio Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gates/) > [In practice, I run every play like I'm scoring a touchdown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercury-morris/in-practice-i-run-every-play-like-i-m-scoring-a-touchdown/) [Mercury Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercury-morris/) > [I want to be the guy who catches the game-winning touchdown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hines-ward/i-want-to-be-the-guy-who-catches-the-game-winning-touchdown/) [Hines Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hines-ward/) > [I scored a touchdown on the first reception I made in the NFL and spiked the ball. The instant I did, I felt horrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzie-newsome/i-scored-a-touchdown-on-the-first-reception-i-made-in-the-nfl-and/) [Ozzie Newsome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzie-newsome/) > [This is like being in the super bowl. It's first down, you're on the one yard line, You either make a touchdown or you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-teti/this-is-like-being-in-the-super-bowl-it-s-first-down-you-re-on-the/) [Joe Teti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-teti/) ## 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 Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What we have here is an unexpected touchdown on the runway of the heart.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Robbins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touchdown-on-the-runway-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touchdown-on-the-runway-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/tom-robbins-169_heart_what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touch_1657026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What we have here is an unexpected touchdown on the runway of the heart.” — 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": "What we have here is an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touchdown-on-the-runway-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/what-we-have-here-is-an-unexpected-touchdown-on-the-runway-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```