Paraphrase: "It's not about the lines, it's about the connection. Connection is more important than being witty or clever or the lines you've written."
That's David Steinberg's p.o.v. on why he and Johnny Carson worked so well together. With Steinberg, Carson could abandon his notes and just go with the flow. The audience sensed that and was turned on by it.
It's true for the standup/audience relationship too. If they feel a connection with you, you're way closer to laughs. It's a good reason to be ok with abandoning written material in order to just talk to the room.
