--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I long for the simplicity of theatre. I…" description: "\"I long for the simplicity of theatre. I want lessons learned, comeuppances delivered, people sorted out, all before your bladder gets distractingly ful..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/john-m-ford-24552_bladder_i-long-for-the-simplicity-of-theatre-i-w_3183158.jpg" --- # I long for the simplicity of theatre. I want lessons… ![“I long for the simplicity of theatre. I want lessons learned, comeuppances delivered, people sorted out, all before your bladder gets distractingly full. That's what I want. What I know is what we all know, whether we'll admit it or not: every attempt to impose the roundness of a well-made play on…” quote by John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/john-m-ford-24552_bladder_i-long-for-the-simplicity-of-theatre-i-w_3183158.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/john-m-ford-24552_bladder_i-long-for-the-simplicity-of-theatre-i-w_3183158.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/john-m-ford-24552_bladder_i-long-for-the-simplicity-of-theatre-i-w_3183158.jpg) > “I long for the simplicity of theatre. I want lessons learned, comeuppances delivered, people sorted out, all before your bladder gets distractingly full. That's what I want. What I know is what we all know, whether we'll admit it or not: every attempt to impose the roundness of a well-made play on reality produces a disaster. Life just isn't so, nor will it be made so.” [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He craves theater’s clear moral order; real life’s messiness resists tidy narratives, leading to disappointment when expectations clash with reality. **In simple terms:** Theater offers simple lessons; life is messy. Key Takeaway Accept life’s complexity over neat stories. Themes art reality expectations Mood melancholic contemplative Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - reading - writing - performance - daily decision making Key Concepts narrative structure human experience Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile desire for order with life's chaos? - What can theater teach about handling real‑world ambiguity? A Different Perspective Seeking overly simple narratives can ignore nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comeuppance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comeuppance/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Lesson learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson-learned/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Lessons learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons-learned/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I hope we win every game we play, but the reality is it can't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-clarke/i-hope-we-win-every-game-we-play-but-the-reality-is-it-can-t-happen/) [Michael Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-clarke/) > [In the two or three or four months that it takes me to write a play, I find that the reality of the play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/in-the-two-or-three-or-four-months-that-it-takes-me-to-write-a-play-i/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I find that when I play reality-based characters, it is only as fun for me if I have a lot of time to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hannah/i-find-that-when-i-play-reality-based-characters-it-is-only-as-fun/) [Daryl Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hannah/) > [You can't stop the future, you can't rewind the past. The only way to learn from your mistakes; is to press pause on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamira-robinson/you-can-t-stop-the-future-you-can-t-rewind-the-past-the-only-way-to-2/) [Jamira Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamira-robinson/) > [You can play with the reality and the 3D is a tool to play with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-bekmambetov/you-can-play-with-the-reality-and-the-3d-is-a-tool-to-play-with-it/) [Timur Bekmambetov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-bekmambetov/) > [I want to keep doing interesting work with interesting people in whatever form that may take, but I want to play the big parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwilym-lee/i-want-to-keep-doing-interesting-work-with-interesting-people-in/) [Gwilym Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwilym-lee/) > [Some days it seems I've done as much as I can here and I think I'll go and try my luck in America. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-walters/some-days-it-seems-i-ve-done-as-much-as-i-can-here-and-i-think-i-ll/) [Ashley Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-walters/) > [I'd quite like to do a film but I'd also love to do more theatre. I want to keep challenging myself with good roles.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-d-quite-like-to-do-a-film-but-i-d-also-love-to-do-more-theatre-i/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [You can work and scratch out a living in the theatre, but, if you want to make money, you've got to hit the road.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-caulfield/you-can-work-and-scratch-out-a-living-in-the-theatre-but-if-you-want/) [Maxwell Caulfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-caulfield/) > [I want to bring theatre to a new generation, using the tools available to us, including taking it out to them on film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-want-to-bring-theatre-to-a-new-generation-using-the-tools-available/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [I want to do theatre and I want to do period drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-socha/i-want-to-do-theatre-and-i-want-to-do-period-drama/) [Lauren Socha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-socha/) > [Silence,they say,is the voice of complicity. But silence is impossible. Silence screams. Silence is the message,just as doing nothing is an act. Let who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peltier/silence-they-say-is-the-voice-of-complicity-but-silence-is-impossible/) [Leonard Peltier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peltier/) > [“But as the Greeks teach us, there is only one remedy for that sort of hubris. They called it nemesis. We call it getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/but-as-the-greeks-teach-us-there-is-only-one-remedy-for-that-sort-of/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Your enemies call it comeuppance and relish the details of a drug too fine, how long you must have dangled there beside yourself. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-barresi/your-enemies-call-it-comeuppance-and-relish-the-details-of-a-drug-too/) Dorothy Barresi > [If religion is a reaction of man, and nothing more, it seems to me that it represents a human desire for wrongdoers to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gilligan/if-religion-is-a-reaction-of-man-and-nothing-more-it-seems-to-me-that/) [Vince Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gilligan/) ## More by John M. Ford > [Creating the fictional background for a game world isn't significantly different from creating a background for fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/creating-the-fictional-background-for-a-game-world-isn-t/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [Well, it's an adventure story, and a Bildungsroman, of course, but there was also the intention to describe a culture that had been seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/well-it-s-an-adventure-story-and-a-bildungsroman-of-course-but-there/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [Sometimes the reader will decide something else than the author's intent; this is certainly true of attempts to empirically decipher reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/sometimes-the-reader-will-decide-something-else-than-the-author-s/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [At one point I intended to write precursor and sequel novels, about the establishment of the Web and its next evolution, but I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/at-one-point-i-intended-to-write-precursor-and-sequel-novels-about/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [“Askade took the battertoast, looked at it blearily. "I can't rewire it into a death ray without some extra parts," he said, and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/askade-took-the-battertoast-looked-at-it-blearily-i-can-t-rewire-it/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [Every book is three books, after all; the one the writer intended, the one the reader expected, and the one that casts its shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/every-book-is-three-books-after-all-the-one-the-writer-intended-the/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [I don't think anyone wants a reader to be completely lost - certainly not to the point of giving up - but there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/i-don-t-think-anyone-wants-a-reader-to-be-completely-lost-certainly/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [There are people who believe in an absolutely transparent prose; with every respect for clarity of expression, I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/there-are-people-who-believe-in-an-absolutely-transparent-prose-with/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [Naturally, the reader has access only to the events I show and the way I show them, but as has been said, there's generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/naturally-the-reader-has-access-only-to-the-events-i-show-and-the-way/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [Observe, don't imitate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/observe-don-t-imitate/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [If I were to write Web now, it would be a much, much darker book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/if-i-were-to-write-web-now-it-would-be-a-much-much-darker-book/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [The language fictional characters use is chosen for effect, at least if the author is concentrating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/the-language-fictional-characters-use-is-chosen-for-effect-at-least/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [The ideal, it seems to me, is to show things happening and allow the reader to decide what they mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/the-ideal-it-seems-to-me-is-to-show-things-happening-and-allow-the/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [“The worm drives helically through the wood And does not know the dust left in the bore Once made the table integral and good;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/the-worm-drives-helically-through-the-wood-and-does-not-know-the-dust/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) > [The people who don't like it tend to dislike it intensely. That's unfortunate, but not surprising when one deliberately goes against audience expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-ford/the-people-who-don-t-like-it-tend-to-dislike-it-intensely-that-s/) [John M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) [Explore all 24 John M. Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-ford/) ## More Bladder quotes > [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/) > [“You still there?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘You must have a bladder like Lake Erie. I think empires rose and fell in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-still-there-he-asked-yes-she-said-you-must-have-a-bladder-like/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I went to the doctor, and they found something in my bladder. And whenever they find something, it's never anything good like, "We found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-went-to-the-doctor-and-they-found-something-in-my-bladder-and/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Health experts working on a union backed screening program to detect bladder cancer in a Georgia chemical plant were stunned when the local (ACS)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-anderson/health-experts-working-on-a-union-backed-screening-program-to-detect/) [Jack Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-anderson/) > [“The past twelve weeks had been a blur, and now she was about to meet her baby via ultrasound, go home with a picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kent/the-past-twelve-weeks-had-been-a-blur-and-now-she-was-about-to-meet/) [Julia Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kent/) > [No one goes to the toilet in novels. You'd think none of us had bladders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/no-one-goes-to-the-toilet-in-novels-you-d-think-none-of-us-had/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [My bladder cancer was related to smoking, and I think smoking kills people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-schieffer/my-bladder-cancer-was-related-to-smoking-and-i-think-smoking-kills/) [Bob Schieffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-schieffer/) > [You cannot achieve happiness. Happiness happens and is a transitory stage. Imagine how happy I felt when I got relief from bladder pressure. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-achieve-happiness-happiness-happens-and-is-a-transitory/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Please, by all the blessed saints and their bladders, tell me you two didn’t…Have you lost all semblance of intelligence? (Syn)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/please-by-all-the-blessed-saints-and-their-bladders-tell-me-you-two/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I was 52 years old. I had diabetes and incipient arthritis. I had lost my gall bladder and most of my thyroid gland in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kroc/i-was-52-years-old-i-had-diabetes-and-incipient-arthritis-i-had-lost/) [Ray Kroc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kroc/) > [One of the most difficult things to contend with in a hospital is the assumption on the part of the staff that because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-to-contend-with-in-a-hospital-is-the/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Playing dead is difficult with a full bladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/playing-dead-is-difficult-with-a-full-bladder/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/life-with-most-teenagers-was-like-having-a-low-grade-bladder/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [When you have a tiny bladder you become very adept at finding and remembering clean public bathrooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/when-you-have-a-tiny-bladder-you-become-very-adept-at-finding-and/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [My pappy told me never to bet my bladder against a brewery or get into an argument with people who buy ink by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-kirkland/my-pappy-told-me-never-to-bet-my-bladder-against-a-brewery-or-get/) [Lane Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-kirkland/) Browse all 71 Bladder quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I long for the simplicity of theatre. 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