--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the South they don't mind how close I…" description: "\"In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I don't get too big. In the North they don't mind how big I get, so long as I don't get too cl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/dick-gregory-3266_bigs_in-the-south-they-don-t-mind-how-close-i_93258.jpg" --- # In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I… ![“In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I don't get too big. In the North they don't mind how big I get, so long as I don't get too close.” quote by Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/dick-gregory-3266_bigs_in-the-south-they-don-t-mind-how-close-i_93258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/dick-gregory-3266_bigs_in-the-south-they-don-t-mind-how-close-i_93258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/dick-gregory-3266_bigs_in-the-south-they-don-t-mind-how-close-i_93258.jpg) > “In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I don't get too big. In the North they don't mind how big I get, so long as I don't get too close.” [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Regional attitudes toward personal ambition differ: the South tolerates proximity but limits stature, while the North accepts stature but limits intimacy. **In simple terms:** Cultural expectations shape social distance and ambition. Key Takeaway Geography influences how power and closeness are negotiated. Themes regional culture social hierarchy personal ambition intimacy power dynamics Mood reflective wry observant Type aphor social commentary When to use this quote - business networking in different regions - dating across cultural lines - political campaigning - team leadership styles - community integration Key Concepts social norms status proximity authority Practical Applications - adapting communication strategies - designing region-specific marketing Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment affect your willingness to grow? - Do you prioritize closeness or influence? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north/) ## Related quotes > [“you can only hold your kids close for so long. At some point, you just have to let them go, let them discover themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-ward/you-can-only-hold-your-kids-close-for-so-long-at-some-point-you-just/) [Penelope Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-ward/) > [“There is an entire world that exists in my mind. All I do is close my eyes and watch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-schutte/there-is-an-entire-world-that-exists-in-my-mind-all-i-do-is-close-my/) M.J. 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It's a Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-burr/i-m-not-opposed-we-manufacture-a-lot-of-socks-in-north-carolina-i/) [Richard Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-burr/) > [At the outset of the creation of the euro in 1999, it was expected that the southern eurozone economies would behave like those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-outset-of-the-creation-of-the-euro-in-1999-it-was-expected/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Eudora Welty's 'A Curtain of Green' had an enormous effect on me. But my early attempts to graft stories from the Deep South onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/eudora-welty-s-a-curtain-of-green-had-an-enormous-effect-on-me-but-my/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [I grew up in Orange County, without a team. 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When's the last time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/you-hear-entertainers-all-the-time-saying-if-i-couldn-t-get-paid-for/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [What price would God demand from the churches for having the audacity to lighten the color of his son's skin, and straighten out his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/what-price-would-god-demand-from-the-churches-for-having-the-audacity/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Eating liver out of a cow's body is like eating the filter out of a car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/eating-liver-out-of-a-cow-s-body-is-like-eating-the-filter-out-of-a/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-never-learned-hate-at-home-or-shame-i-had-to-go-to-school-for-that/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I am one of the funniest people on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-am-one-of-the-funniest-people-on-the-planet/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“Dear Momma―Wherever you are, if ever you hear the word "nigger" again, remember they are advertising my book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/dear-momma-wherever-you-are-if-ever-you-hear-the-word-nigger-again/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [The NAACP is a wonderful organization . . . But do you realize if tomorrow morning we had complete integration, all them cats would be outta work?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/the-naacp-is-a-wonderful-organization-but-do-you-realize-if-tomorrow/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Fear and God do not occupy the same space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/fear-and-god-do-not-occupy-the-same-space/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I used to get letters saying, 'I didn't know black children and white children were the same.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-used-to-get-letters-saying-i-didn-t-know-black-children-and-white/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [People keep telling me about the white race and the black race - and it really doesn't make sense. 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There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I don't get too big. 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