--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And yet I still act sometimes like I was…" description: "\"“And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about twelve. Everybody says that, especially my father. It's partly true, too, but it isn't all true. P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/j-d-salinger-560_older_and-yet-i-still-act-sometimes-like-i-was_2936381.png" --- # And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about… ![“And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about twelve. Everybody says that, especially my father. It's partly true, too, but it isn't all true. People always think something's all true. I don't give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a…” quote by J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/j-d-salinger-560_older_and-yet-i-still-act-sometimes-like-i-was_2936381.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/j-d-salinger-560_older_and-yet-i-still-act-sometimes-like-i-was_2936381.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/j-d-salinger-560_older_and-yet-i-still-act-sometimes-like-i-was_2936381.png) > ““And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about twelve. Everybody says that, especially my father. It's partly true, too, but it isn't all true. People always think something's all true. I don't give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am – I really do – but people never notice it. People never notice anything.”” [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator struggles between youthful immaturity and adult expectations, feeling misunderstood. **In simple terms:** People often misjudge his age and behavior. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity despite others' expectations. Themes identity maturity misunderstanding Mood reflective confessional Type literary personal When to use this quote - school life - family gatherings - social pressure Key Concepts coming of age self perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever feel judged for acting younger or older? - How does age perception affect self‑esteem? A Different Perspective Self‑perception may clash with external labels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-like/) [Everybody Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-says/) [Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older/) [Older Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-really-709615/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-tell/) [Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says/) [True people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-people/) ## Related quotes > [“I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bored-sometimes-when-people/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“People always think something's all true. I don't give a damn, except that I get bored when people tell me to act my age.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/people-always-think-something-s-all-true-i-don-t-give-a-damn-except/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [I was sixteen then, and I'm seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I'm about thirteen. Sometimes, I act a lot older than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-sixteen-then-and-i-m-seventeen-now-and-sometimes-i-act-like-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sometimes I act a lot older than I am – I really do – but people never notice it. People never notice anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/sometimes-i-act-a-lot-older-than-i-am-i-really-do-but-people-never/) [J.D. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buscemi/i-guess-i-don-t-think-about-age-too-much-i-ve-always-felt-older-than/) [Steve Buscemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buscemi/) > [“I do not like being called “young” by someone who is only a couple of years older than I am, because what that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-do-not-like-being-called-young-by-someone-who-is-only-a-couple-of/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I find that the older I get, the more I see that there really aren't huge zeniths of happiness or a huge abyss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-cole/i-find-that-the-older-i-get-the-more-i-see-that-there-really-aren-t/) [Paula Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-cole/) > [I feel older than I really am. 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Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“I still think that, in a way, I can't get past half my childhood dogmas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-still-think-that-in-a-way-i-can-t-get-past-half-my-childhood-dogmas/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“He stuck around till around dinnertime, talking about all the guys at Pencey that he hated their guts, and squeezing this big pimple on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/he-stuck-around-till-around-dinnertime-talking-about-all-the-guys-at/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“For example, when Seymour told one of the twins or Zooey or Franny or even Mme. Boo Boo (who was only two years younger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/for-example-when-seymour-told-one-of-the-twins-or-zooey-or-franny-or/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“One thing? One thing I like? Okay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/one-thing-one-thing-i-like-okay/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“The cigars are ballast, sweetheart. Sheer ballast. If he didn’t have a cigar to hold on to, his feet would leave the ground. We’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/the-cigars-are-ballast-sweetheart-sheer-ballast-if-he-didn-t-have-a/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“They're just people that write poems that get published and anthologized all over the place but they're not poets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/they-re-just-people-that-write-poems-that-get-published-and/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“In certain Zen monasteries, it's a cardinal rule, if not the only serious enforced discipline, that when one monk calls out 'Hi!' to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/in-certain-zen-monasteries-it-s-a-cardinal-rule-if-not-the-only/) [j.d. salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“And I hate to tell you... but I think that once you have a fair idea where you want to go, your first move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/and-i-hate-to-tell-you-but-i-think-that-once-you-have-a-fair-idea/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“Hi,' he said. He always said it like he was terrifically bored or terrifically tired. He didn't want you to think he was visiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/hi-he-said-he-always-said-it-like-he-was-terrifically-bored-or/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [ “\[Y\]ou’re someone who took up birds in the first place because they fired your imagination; they fascinated you because ‘they seemed of all created… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/y-ou-re-someone-who-took-up-birds-in-the-first-place-because-they/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) [Explore all 416 J.D. Salinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## More Older quotes > [Clearly, I'm way older than everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/clearly-i-m-way-older-than-everyone/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [There are definite reference points to older Depeche Mode records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/there-are-definite-reference-points-to-older-depeche-mode-records/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. 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