---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In California, you can stretch your arms…"
description: "\"In California, you can stretch your arms out and not be touching another person. You get space, sun and, in general, dignity.\" — Hasan Minhaj"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg"
---

#  In California, you can stretch your arms out and not be…

![“In California, you can stretch your arms out and not be touching another person. You get space, sun and, in general, dignity.” quote by Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg)

> “In California, you can stretch your arms out and not be touching another person. You get space, sun and, in general, dignity.”

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Personal space and dignity are highlighted as essential comforts in crowded societies.

**In simple terms:** Space and dignity matter.

Key Takeaway

Seek environments that respect personal space.

Themes

dignity personal space urban life

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

observational commentary

When to use this quote

- public transport
- crowded events
- urban planning
- mental health

Key Concepts

social psychology human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal space affect your sense of dignity?
- What environments make you feel most respected?

A Different Perspective

Space alone may not guarantee emotional well‑being.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/)

## Related quotes

> [“A human hand was exactly the right weight, exactly the right temperature for touching another person, I realized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/a-human-hand-was-exactly-the-right-weight-exactly-the-right/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [They’re lucky I didn’t rip their arms off for touching her. (Devyn)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/they-re-lucky-i-didn-t-rip-their-arms-off-for-touching-her-devyn/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“In 1966, American anthropologist Edward T. Hall specified four distinct distance zones to describe the perception of physical space around us. Understanding these zones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/in-1966-american-anthropologist-edward-t-hall-specified-four-distinct/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [I have never subscribed to the idea that it's necessary to greet someone in the office by wrapping arms and touching backs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/i-have-never-subscribed-to-the-idea-that-it-s-necessary-to-greet/)

[Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/)

> [“And now time is rushing towards them where they stand side by side with arms touching, immortality on their faces, night at their back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/and-now-time-is-rushing-towards-them-where-they-stand-side-by-side/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [So many people move in with somebody and try to hold on to who they were before they were with that person and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-brent/so-many-people-move-in-with-somebody-and-try-to-hold-on-to-who-they/)

[Jeremiah Brent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-brent/)

> [“four behaviors that trigger concerns about trustworthiness: leaning away; crossing arms; touching, rubbing, or grasping hands together; and touching the face, stomach, or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neffinger/four-behaviors-that-trigger-concerns-about-trustworthiness-leaning/)

John Neffinger

> [“There is a space that people hold for you, within themselves. Every person has a space for every person they met - sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/there-is-a-space-that-people-hold-for-you-within-themselves-every/)

[Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/)

> [It isn't love when another person cannot give you the space to live your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/it-isn-t-love-when-another-person-cannot-give-you-the-space-to-live/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tomorrow-we-will-run-faster-stretch-out-our-arms-farther/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/to-morrow-we-will-run-faster-stretch-out-our-arms-farther-and-one/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [If I stretch my arms and wonder where my fingers are - that is all the space I need as a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/if-i-stretch-my-arms-and-wonder-where-my-fingers-are-that-is-all-the/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Don't stretch your arms to others, dont make anyone your weakness, whenever you'll make something outside you your source of happiness you'll regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/don-t-stretch-your-arms-to-others-dont-make-anyone-your-weakness/)

Senoraroy

> [In city, in suburb, in forest, no way to stretch out the arms - so if you would grow, go straight up or deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/in-city-in-suburb-in-forest-no-way-to-stretch-out-the-arms-so-if-you/)

[Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/)

> [Sitting tightens your chest. For a great release, lie faceup on a foam roller placed lengthwise under your spine, and stretch your arms out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-whipple/sitting-tightens-your-chest-for-a-great-release-lie-faceup-on-a-foam/)

Mary Whipple

## More by Hasan Minhaj

> [I've found the 90-10 rule to be pretty true: 90 percent of what I come up with and write down is kinda 'eh,' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-ve-found-the-90-10-rule-to-be-pretty-true-90-percent-of-what-i-come/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [When you immerse yourself in a community, you tend to rise in that community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/when-you-immerse-yourself-in-a-community-you-tend-to-rise-in-that/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [Aditi is a comedy superstar over in India. She's only one of three female English-speaking comedians in India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/aditi-is-a-comedy-superstar-over-in-india-she-s-only-one-of-three/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [A lot of times, especially when it comes to political debates, people get caught up in esoteric statistics. So the realest thing I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/a-lot-of-times-especially-when-it-comes-to-political-debates-people/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [A lot of people in the media say that Donald Trump goes golfing too much, which raises a very important question: Why do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/a-lot-of-people-in-the-media-say-that-donald-trump-goes-golfing-too/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [As satirists, we get to stand on the sidelines of life and comment on what's happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/as-satirists-we-get-to-stand-on-the-sidelines-of-life-and-comment-on/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [My dad was the only son from his entire family to come to America, and I was his only son. We had come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/my-dad-was-the-only-son-from-his-entire-family-to-come-to-america-and/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [When you can tailor your act, you want it to be about yourself but also about the people in the room and the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/when-you-can-tailor-your-act-you-want-it-to-be-about-yourself-but/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [I think perspective is a necessary, amazing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-think-perspective-is-a-necessary-amazing-thing/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [I like to have straight-up black coffee, but when you get it, sometimes you'll burn your tongue, or it spills on your hands, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-like-to-have-straight-up-black-coffee-but-when-you-get-it-sometimes/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [I just started the way most comics start, doing open mic shows around Sacramento and San Francisco, and eventually, I moved to L.A. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-just-started-the-way-most-comics-start-doing-open-mic-shows-around/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [Jokes for jokes' sake are kind of meaningless to me. I understand the value of them, but it doesn't speak to me as much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/jokes-for-jokes-sake-are-kind-of-meaningless-to-me-i-understand-the/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [I'm not a Larry David. I don't have a 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and a 'Seinfeld' in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-not-a-larry-david-i-don-t-have-a-curb-your-enthusiasm-and-a/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [Your courage to do what's right has to be greater than your fear of getting hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/your-courage-to-do-what-s-right-has-to-be-greater-than-your-fear-of/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [I'm a huge fan of Beverly Cleary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-beverly-cleary/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

[Explore all 129 Hasan Minhaj quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

## More California quotes

> [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/)

[Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/)

[Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/)

> [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/)

Sam Hinton

> [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/)

[David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/)

> [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/)

[Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/)

> [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/)

[Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/)

> [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/)

[David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/)

> [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/)

[Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/)

> [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/)

[Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/)

> [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/)

[Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/)

> [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/)

[David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/)

[Browse all 2,036 California quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In California, you can stretch your arms out and not be touching another person. You get space, sun and, in general, dignity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hasan Minhaj"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms-out-and-not-be-touching/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "California"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms-out-and-not-be-touching/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/hasan-minhaj-3513_california_in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms_763380.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In California, you can stretch your arms out and not be touching another person. You get space, sun and, in…” — Hasan Minhaj",
                "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": "Hasan Minhaj",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In California, you can stretch your...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms-out-and-not-be-touching/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/in-california-you-can-stretch-your-arms-out-and-not-be-touching/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
