---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don’t give a damn, except that I get…"
description: "\"“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 pe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg"
---

#  I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes…

![“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.” quote by J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg)

> ““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.

People ignore age‑related expectations, leading to boredom and misinterpretation.

**In simple terms:** Age expectations go unnoticed.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge age differences.

Themes

age perception social expectations misunderstanding

Mood

ironic reflective

Type

literary conversational

When to use this quote

- school
- workplace
- family gatherings

Key Concepts

Adolescent development social perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you respond when others ignore your age?
- What expectations do you feel pressured by?

A Different Perspective

Age stereotypes can cause frustration.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bored People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored-people-1427823/) [Catcher in the rye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catcher-in-the-rye/) [Holden caulfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holden-caulfield/) [Notice People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notice-people-886414/) [Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older/) [Older Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-really-709615/) [People Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-tell/) [Tell Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-act-724592/)

## Related quotes

> [“I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age . sometimes I act a lot older than I am- I rally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-get-bored-sometimes-when-people-tell-me-to-act-my-age-sometimes-i/)

[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/)

> [“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. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“It's 'If a body meet a body coming through the rye'!" old Phoebe said. "It's a poem. By Robert Burns." "I know it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/it-s-if-a-body-meet-a-body-coming-through-the-rye-old-phoebe-said-it/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“D.B. asked me what I thought about all this stuff I just finished telling you about. I didn't know what the hell to say.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/d-b-asked-me-what-i-thought-about-all-this-stuff-i-just-finished/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-m-standing-on-the-edge-of-some-crazy-cliff-what-i-have-to-do-i-have/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/last-year-i-made-a-rule-that-i-was-going-to-quit-horsing-around-with/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole autobiography or anything. I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/besides-i-m-not-going-to-tell-you-my-whole-autobiography-or-anything/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyway-i-keep-picturing-all-these-little-kids-playing-some-game-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Jesse believed stories were the collective memories of the world, recorded in books so that each of us could know who we were before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/jesse-believed-stories-were-the-collective-memories-of-the-world/)

[Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/)

> [I'd never seen that look on another face before, had never identified it in another person. I'd only met with it in fiction. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/i-d-never-seen-that-look-on-another-face-before-had-never-identified/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/and-yet-i-still-act-sometimes-like-i-was-only-about-twelve-everybody/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [ “\[Ackley\] took another look at my hat . . . “Up home we wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake,”… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/ackley-took-another-look-at-my-hat-up-home-we-wear-a-hat-like-that-to/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“I don’t even like old cars. I mean, they don’t even interest me at all. I'd rather have a goddam horse. A horse is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-don-t-even-like-old-cars-i-mean-they-don-t-even-interest-me-at-all/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“Girls with their legs crossed, girls with their legs not crossed, girls with terrific legs, girls with lousy legs, girls that looked like swell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/girls-with-their-legs-crossed-girls-with-their-legs-not-crossed-girls/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

## More by J.D. Salinger

> [“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all… I'm standing on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-keep-picturing-all-these-little-kids-playing-some-game-in-this-big/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“If you're a poet, you do something beautiful. I mean you're supposed to leave something beautiful after you get off the page and everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/if-you-re-a-poet-you-do-something-beautiful-i-mean-you-re-supposed-to/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was… The only thing that would be different would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/the-best-thing-though-in-that-museum-was-that-everything-always/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [“And you make people nervous, young man," she said - most equably, for her. "You either take to somebody or you don't. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/and-you-make-people-nervous-young-man-she-said-most-equably-for-her/)

[J.D. 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 Catcher in the rye quotes

> [“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all… I'm standing on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-keep-picturing-all-these-little-kids-playing-some-game-in-this-big/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [Catcher in the Rye had a profound impact on me-the idea that we all have lots of dreams that are slowly being chipped away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-nelson/catcher-in-the-rye-had-a-profound-impact-on-me-the-idea-that-we-all/)

[Judd Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-nelson/)

> [To me, White Boy Shuffle is sort of like Catcher in the Rye, the story is so universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-phillippe/to-me-white-boy-shuffle-is-sort-of-like-catcher-in-the-rye-the-story/)

[Ryan Phillippe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-phillippe/)

> [Any book that can help you survive the slings and arrows of adolescence is a book to love for life; 'The Catcher in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/any-book-that-can-help-you-survive-the-slings-and-arrows-of/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [“I thought it was, "If a body catch a body," Anyway, i keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-thought-it-was-if-a-body-catch-a-body-anyway-i-keep-picturing-all/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [I'm aware that many of my friends will be saddened and shocked, or shock-saddened, over some of the chapters in 'The Catcher In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/i-m-aware-that-many-of-my-friends-will-be-saddened-and-shocked-or/)

[J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/)

> [I never show my books to Ricky. His writing is very different, and anyway, he's only read one novel in his life: 'The Catcher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fallon/i-never-show-my-books-to-ricky-his-writing-is-very-different-and/)

[Jane Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fallon/)

> [“The boarding school memoir or novel is an enduring literary subgenre, from 1950s classics such as The Catcher in the Rye to Curtis Sittenfeld’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-doust/the-boarding-school-memoir-or-novel-is-an-enduring-literary-subgenre/)

[Jon Doust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-doust/)

> [Very few teachers or leaders in my small Michigan community ever discussed the issue of 'The Catcher in the Rye,' and certainly no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/very-few-teachers-or-leaders-in-my-small-michigan-community-ever/)

[Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/)

> [Between 1961 and 1982, 'The Catcher in the Rye' was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/between-1961-and-1982-the-catcher-in-the-rye-was-the-most-censored/)

[Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/)

> [“Of those of us who comprise the real clan of the book, who read not to judge the reading of others but to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/of-those-of-us-who-comprise-the-real-clan-of-the-book-who-read-not-to/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Why can't a democrat get fired up about protecting the environment and enacting gun control legislation just as right wing republicans get fired up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/why-can-t-a-democrat-get-fired-up-about-protecting-the-environment/)

[Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/)

> [“D.B. asked me what I thought about all this stuff I just finished telling you about. I didn't know what the hell to say.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/d-b-asked-me-what-i-thought-about-all-this-stuff-i-just-finished/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [I'd never seen that look on another face before, had never identified it in another person. I'd only met with it in fiction. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/i-d-never-seen-that-look-on-another-face-before-had-never-identified/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Oh, Romeo and Juliet! Lovely! Didn’t you just love it?”She certainly didn’t sound like a nun. “Yes. I did. I liked it a lot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/oh-romeo-and-juliet-lovely-didn-t-you-just-love-it-she-certainly-didn/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

[Browse all 75 Catcher in the rye quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catcher-in-the-rye/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“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.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J.D. Salinger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bored-sometimes-when-people/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Catcher in the rye"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bored-sometimes-when-people/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bo_2639785.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a…” — J.D. Salinger",
                "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": "J.D. Salinger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I don’t give a damn, except...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bored-sometimes-when-people/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-don-t-give-a-damn-except-that-i-get-bored-sometimes-when-people/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
