--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Last year I made a rule that I was going…" description: "\"“Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in the ass. I broke it, though, the same we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/864/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_last-year-i-made-a-rule-that-i-was-going_854126.png" --- # Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing… ![“Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in the ass. I broke it, though, the same week I made it - the same night, as a matter of fact.” quote by J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/864/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_last-year-i-made-a-rule-that-i-was-going_854126.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/864/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_last-year-i-made-a-rule-that-i-was-going_854126.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/864/j-d-salinger-560_catcher-in-the-rye_last-year-i-made-a-rule-that-i-was-going_854126.png) > ““Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in the ass. I broke it, though, the same week I made it - the same night, as a matter of fact.”” [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 speaker acknowledges a self‑imposed rule about avoiding superficial relationships, but quickly breaks it, highlighting impulsivity and inner conflict. **In simple terms:** He tried to avoid shallow romances but failed fast. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront your own contradictions. Themes relationships self‑control impulsivity Mood conflicted reflective Type literary personal When to use this quote - dating - self‑reflection - habit formation Key Concepts psychology personal growth Questions to Reflect On - Why do we set rules we cannot keep? - What does this reveal about our true motivations? A Different Perspective The rule may be ineffective if underlying desires remain unaddressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catcher in the rye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catcher-in-the-rye/) [Horsing around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horsing-around/) ## Related quotes > [I was in a band called The Valentines and they broke up last week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bon-scott/i-was-in-a-band-called-the-valentines-and-they-broke-up-last-week/) [Bon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bon-scott/) > [“this sentence I'm reading is terrific" i can be quite sarcastic when I'm in the mood. He didn't get it, though. He started walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/this-sentence-i-m-reading-is-terrific-i-can-be-quite-sarcastic-when-i/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“How'd she happen to mention me? Does she do to B.M. now? 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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/) > [“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/) ## 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. 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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 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. 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