--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try…" description: "\"“Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try to rivet gelatin?”\" — Nathan Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg" --- # Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try to rivet gelatin? ![“Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try to rivet gelatin?” quote by Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg) > ““Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try to rivet gelatin?”” [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker uses absurd imagery to mock attempts at rigid control, highlighting futility of trying to fix the unfixable. **In simple terms:** Trying to control the impossible is absurd. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility, avoid over‑engineering. Themes humor control absurdity Mood lighthearted ironic Type satirical inspirational When to use this quote - project management - team leadership - creative brainstorming - conflict resolution Key Concepts literature psychology innovation Questions to Reflect On - When have you tried to “rivet gelatin”? - What alternatives exist to rigid planning? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on control can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gelatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gelatin/) [Pinned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pinned/) [Rivet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivet-6047968/) [Rivet Gelatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivet-gelatin-6047966/) [Try Rivet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-rivet-6047967/) ## Related quotes > [I don’t think Kitchen makes this. What’s it called again?" "Jell-O Surprise." Link grinned. "What’s the surprise?" Ridley examined the red gelatin more closely.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/i-don-t-think-kitchen-makes-this-what-s-it-called-again-jell-o/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [I like to approach every day like it's my first, so this morning when I woke up I covered my body with red gelatin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saget/i-like-to-approach-every-day-like-it-s-my-first-so-this-morning-when/) [Bob Saget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saget/) > [If you have a block of ballistics gelatin and a high-speed camera, pretty soon somebody gets a gun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-you-have-a-block-of-ballistics-gelatin-and-a-high-speed-camera/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Whatever it takes to get the image to reach that level is what that photographer needs to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-image-to-reach-that-level-is-what-that-2/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [In a museum in London there is an exhibit called "The Value of Man": a long coffinlike box with lots of compartments where they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/in-a-museum-in-london-there-is-an-exhibit-called-the-value-of-man-a/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [Don’t ask me those questions! Don’t ask me what life means or how we know reality or why we have to suffer so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/don-t-ask-me-those-questions-don-t-ask-me-what-life-means-or-how-we/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I began to wonder whether anything truly existed, whether reality wasn't an unformed and gelatinous substance only half-captured by my senses…If that were true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-began-to-wonder-whether-anything-truly-existed-whether-reality-wasn/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Because of media hype and woefully inadequate information, too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food, and what does fear of food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/because-of-media-hype-and-woefully-inadequate-information-too-many/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Molded salads are best served in situations where they have little or no competition ... Like television, gelatin is too often a vehicle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/molded-salads-are-best-served-in-situations-where-they-have-little-or/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [“According to the Kind & Knox Web site, other products made with cow-bone-and-pigskin-based gelatin include marshmallows, nougat-type candy bar fillings, liquorice, Gummi Bears, caramels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/according-to-the-kind-knox-web-site-other-products-made-with-cow-bone/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [In the future, we will play games while floating naked in a tank of warm, sensory-depriving gelatin. Games will be distributed chemically, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/in-the-future-we-will-play-games-while-floating-naked-in-a-tank-of/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [“Gelatin fed to animals, the committee reported, was found to “excite an intolerable distaste to a degree which renders starvation preferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/gelatin-fed-to-animals-the-committee-reported-was-found-to-excite-an/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Whatever labels are being pinned on me have nothing to do with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skeet-ulrich/whatever-labels-are-being-pinned-on-me-have-nothing-to-do-with-me/) [Skeet Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skeet-ulrich/) > [Memory is imagination pinned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/memory-is-imagination-pinned-down/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Pinned ya! Pinned ya again! -Nala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-lion-king/pinned-ya-pinned-ya-again-nala/) [The Lion King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-lion-king/) ## More by Nathan Lowell > [My books are offered through Podiobooks.com and the iTunes Music Store as free audio downloads. I don't sell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-books-are-offered-through-podiobooks-com-and-the-itunes-music/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Stop aspiring. Start doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/stop-aspiring-start-doing/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I credit Podiobooks and the free audio podcasts for helping me develop the audience I needed when I started selling my books in text…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-credit-podiobooks-and-the-free-audio-podcasts-for-helping-me/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Podiobooks rules. It's still the best way I know to find an audience for longer works in any genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/podiobooks-rules-it-s-still-the-best-way-i-know-to-find-an-audience/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [specialize in small cast/single reader long fiction so I only compete against other podcasts of novels in that form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/specialize-in-small-cast-single-reader-long-fiction-so-i-only-compete/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [More and more of my audio fans are asking for audiobook versions - files without the intro/outro/etc that go into the podcasts. More and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/more-and-more-of-my-audio-fans-are-asking-for-audiobook-versions/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Ignore the trade-pub narratives about how little success indies enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/ignore-the-trade-pub-narratives-about-how-little-success-indies-enjoy/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [My works are a direct response to the typical space opera. I grew tired of always reading about how the people with power, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-works-are-a-direct-response-to-the-typical-space-opera-i-grew/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“the shadow from my body creating a window in the reflection, a hole in the room where an empty man stood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/the-shadow-from-my-body-creating-a-window-in-the-reflection-a-hole-in/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one novella. I'm probably not going to go with that form again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-can-write-three-novels-in-the-time-it-takes-to-write-one-novella-i/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“I really felt like it was coming together and I regretted that feeling with every step. If experience taught me anything, it was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-really-felt-like-it-was-coming-together-and-i-regretted-that/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I only read on my phone and the whole "let's see if we can get people to do it" idea seems less "wouldn't it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-only-read-on-my-phone-and-the-whole-let-s-see-if-we-can-get-people/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“I call on the Guardian of the South to bless her with the fire of life, to keep her passion alive even as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-call-on-the-guardian-of-the-south-to-bless-her-with-the-fire-of/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Coffee takes on an almost ritualistic meaning. I learned that from being on hurricane patrol for a year in the North Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/coffee-takes-on-an-almost-ritualistic-meaning-i-learned-that-from/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“Sometimes you needed to be an outsider to really appreciate how things worked. Otherwise you took it for granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/sometimes-you-needed-to-be-an-outsider-to-really-appreciate-how/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) [Explore all 20 Nathan Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) ## More Gelatin quotes > [I don’t think Kitchen makes this. What’s it called again?" "Jell-O Surprise." Link grinned. "What’s the surprise?" Ridley examined the red gelatin more closely.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/i-don-t-think-kitchen-makes-this-what-s-it-called-again-jell-o/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [In the future, we will play games while floating naked in a tank of warm, sensory-depriving gelatin. Games will be distributed chemically, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/in-the-future-we-will-play-games-while-floating-naked-in-a-tank-of/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) > [“According to the Kind & Knox Web site, other products made with cow-bone-and-pigskin-based gelatin include marshmallows, nougat-type candy bar fillings, liquorice, Gummi Bears, caramels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/according-to-the-kind-knox-web-site-other-products-made-with-cow-bone/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Molded salads are best served in situations where they have little or no competition ... Like television, gelatin is too often a vehicle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/molded-salads-are-best-served-in-situations-where-they-have-little-or/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [Because of media hype and woefully inadequate information, too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food, and what does fear of food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/because-of-media-hype-and-woefully-inadequate-information-too-many/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [I began to wonder whether anything truly existed, whether reality wasn't an unformed and gelatinous substance only half-captured by my senses…If that were true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-began-to-wonder-whether-anything-truly-existed-whether-reality-wasn/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Don’t ask me those questions! Don’t ask me what life means or how we know reality or why we have to suffer so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/don-t-ask-me-those-questions-don-t-ask-me-what-life-means-or-how-we/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [In a museum in London there is an exhibit called "The Value of Man": a long coffinlike box with lots of compartments where they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/in-a-museum-in-london-there-is-an-exhibit-called-the-value-of-man-a/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [Whatever it takes to get the image to reach that level is what that photographer needs to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-image-to-reach-that-level-is-what-that-2/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [If you have a block of ballistics gelatin and a high-speed camera, pretty soon somebody gets a gun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-you-have-a-block-of-ballistics-gelatin-and-a-high-speed-camera/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [I like to approach every day like it's my first, so this morning when I woke up I covered my body with red gelatin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saget/i-like-to-approach-every-day-like-it-s-my-first-so-this-morning-when/) [Bob Saget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saget/) > [“Gelatin fed to animals, the committee reported, was found to “excite an intolerable distaste to a degree which renders starvation preferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/gelatin-fed-to-animals-the-committee-reported-was-found-to-excite-an/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) [Browse all 13 Gelatin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gelatin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try to rivet gelatin?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathan Lowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to-rivet-gelatin/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gelatin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to-rivet-gelatin/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/nathan-lowell-27268_gelatin_have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to_3219773.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Have you pinned him down?” “You ever try to rivet gelatin?” — Nathan Lowell", "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": "Nathan Lowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Have you pinned him down?” “You...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to-rivet-gelatin/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/have-you-pinned-him-down-you-ever-try-to-rivet-gelatin/#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 } } ] } ```