--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we were controlling the performance…" description: "\"If we were controlling the performance, we never would have had someone push a button to make the pellet stove come on during a climatic moment. And af..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/robert-greene-498_buttons_if-we-were-controlling-the-performance-w_3038215.jpg" --- # If we were controlling the performance, we never would… ![“If we were controlling the performance, we never would have had someone push a button to make the pellet stove come on during a climatic moment. And after the loud pellet stove moment, which is like a Todd Haynes's Safe interruption into the home and into the narrative - as if the home is a like a…” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/robert-greene-498_buttons_if-we-were-controlling-the-performance-w_3038215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/robert-greene-498_buttons_if-we-were-controlling-the-performance-w_3038215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/robert-greene-498_buttons_if-we-were-controlling-the-performance-w_3038215.jpg) > “If we were controlling the performance, we never would have had someone push a button to make the pellet stove come on during a climatic moment. And after the loud pellet stove moment, which is like a Todd Haynes's Safe interruption into the home and into the narrative - as if the home is a like a ghost surrounding the characters - her performance changes entirely.” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Control over performance leads to staged interventions that alter narrative impact. **In simple terms:** Manipulating performance changes story flow. Key Takeaway Use control wisely. Themes control performance narrative Mood analytical critical Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - theatre - film production - public speaking Key Concepts media studies psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is intervention appropriate? - How does control affect audience perception? A Different Perspective Over‑control can make narratives feel artificial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buttons/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Interruption Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interruption-home-4994458/) [Interruptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interruptions/) [Loud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loud/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Pellet Stove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pellet-stove-4994459/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Stove Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stove-come-4994457/) [Stove Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stove-moment-4994456/) [Stoves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stoves/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/todd-haynes-1139699/) ## Related quotes > [Todd Haynes was incredible, he treated me like an adult, communicated with me, was supportive, he treated me as any director would an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/todd-haynes-was-incredible-he-treated-me-like-an-adult-communicated/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Time flames like a paraffin stove / and what burns are the minutes I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-layton/time-flames-like-a-paraffin-stove-and-what-burns-are-the-minutes-i/) [Irving Layton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-layton/) > [Approaching the stove, she would don a voluminous apron, toss some meat on a platter, empty a skillet of its perfectly cooked a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-greene/approaching-the-stove-she-would-don-a-voluminous-apron-toss-some-meat/) [Bert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-greene/) > [A child can be taught not to do certain things, such as touch a hot stove, pull lamps off of tables, and wake Mommy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/a-child-can-be-taught-not-to-do-certain-things-such-as-touch-a-hot/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraphs and kerosene and coal stoves -- they're good to have but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/these-times-are-too-progressive-everything-has-changed-too-fast/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [Every time I go near the stove, the dog howls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/every-time-i-go-near-the-stove-the-dog-howls/) [Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/) > [It's funny how certain objects convey a message - my washer and dryer, for example. They can't speak, of course, but whenever I pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-s-funny-how-certain-objects-convey-a-message-my-washer-and-dryer/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Death smells like homemade applesauce as it cooks on the stove. It is not the strangling scent of illness. It is not fear. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-corrie/death-smells-like-homemade-applesauce-as-it-cooks-on-the-stove-it-is/) [Rachel Corrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-corrie/) > [Here we grow the flax and grain; here we raise the meat they eat, and the wool to keep them warm; we cut trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-poole/here-we-grow-the-flax-and-grain-here-we-raise-the-meat-they-eat-and/) [Ernest Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-poole/) > [Maybe we should be directing our anger elsewhere - like toward Wall Street. Why is it we never think of Big Business when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/maybe-we-should-be-directing-our-anger-elsewhere-like-toward-wall/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I know that you like to see a man in the kitchen, but I'm skeptical of men who cook. A man should be focusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/i-know-that-you-like-to-see-a-man-in-the-kitchen-but-i-m-skeptical-of/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [I've really learned a lot, really learned a lot, love is like a stove, burns you when it's hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-orbison/i-ve-really-learned-a-lot-really-learned-a-lot-love-is-like-a-stove/) [Roy Orbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-orbison/) > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Every morning the cuisinier must start again at zero, with nothing on the stove. That is what real cuisine is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernand-point/every-morning-the-cuisinier-must-start-again-at-zero-with-nothing-on/) [Fernand Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernand-point/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## More by Robert Greene > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. They set traps, asking you to do things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-me-spell-it-out-with-the-psychotic-boss-nothing-you-do-is-ever/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Remember: your bosses prefer to keep you in dependent positions. It is in their interest that you do not become self-reliant, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/remember-your-bosses-prefer-to-keep-you-in-dependent-positions-it-is/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/your-energy-your-spirit-are-important-considerations-feeling-petty/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/fear-creates-its-own-self-fulfilling-dynamic-as-people-give-into-it/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“It is hard for us to imagine now, but our earliest human ancestors who ventured out onto the grasslands of East Africa some six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-is-hard-for-us-to-imagine-now-but-our-earliest-human-ancestors-who/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Let us call this quality the Original Mind. This mind looked at the world more directly—not through words and received ideas. It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Buttons quotes > [J.D. cleared his throat and pushed the button on the intercom. “Uh, Payton, hi. It’s J.D.” Dead silence. Then another crackle. “Sorry. Not interested.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/j-d-cleared-his-throat-and-pushed-the-button-on-the-intercom-uh/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [Or I could see Fish, Just a button up, Like a Mayor, Like a President, Just demands so much from his teammates, Has played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/or-i-could-see-fish-just-a-button-up-like-a-mayor-like-a-president/) [Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [One thing I like about the United States, and I kind of miss about the United States, is there's an election coming up here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/one-thing-i-like-about-the-united-states-and-i-kind-of-miss-about-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I feel a little more tired than usual, ... Ive had to recover from everything, my illnesses and things this summer. Its not perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-feel-a-little-more-tired-than-usual-ive-had-to-recover-from/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [I can't really deal with buttons. And that's what I keep saying, "Okay, I can't push buttons, because that means I have to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/i-can-t-really-deal-with-buttons-and-that-s-what-i-keep-saying-okay-i/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [Today at school I will learn to read at once; then tomorrow I will begin to write, and the day after tomorrow to cipher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-collodi/today-at-school-i-will-learn-to-read-at-once-then-tomorrow-i-will/) [Carlo Collodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-collodi/) > [“Some things are governed by common sense. Putting buttons on the front of a shirt is a matter of logic, since it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/some-things-are-governed-by-common-sense-putting-buttons-on-the-front/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Burn a Bush cause for peace he no push no button. Killing over oil and grease, no weapons of destruction, How can we follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/burn-a-bush-cause-for-peace-he-no-push-no-button-killing-over-oil-and/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/) > [I pray not to be such a whiny, self-obsessed baby, and give thanks that I am not quite as bad as I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-pray-not-to-be-such-a-whiny-self-obsessed-baby-and-give-thanks-that/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [ \[The web\] is going to end up being a tremendous advantage, providing we can work out the financial structure. I think we’ll see newspapers… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/the-web-is-going-to-end-up-being-a-tremendous-advantage-providing-we/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [Any situation that pushes our buttons is a situation where we don't yet have the capacity to be unconditionally loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/any-situation-that-pushes-our-buttons-is-a-situation-where-we-don-t/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Nowadays, people shoot digitally and it's all in color, but you press a button and it all goes to black and white. 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