--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never say you are five feet nine when you…" description: "\"“Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet eight and a half.”\" — John Knowles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png" --- # Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet… ![“Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet eight and a half.” quote by John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png) > ““Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet eight and a half.”” [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Be honest about yourself; avoid exaggerating minor differences. **In simple terms:** Honesty over exaggeration. Key Takeaway Embrace your true self without embellishment. Themes authenticity self‑acceptance honesty humor Mood lighthearted reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - self‑reflection - public speaking Key Concepts identity self‑perception Questions to Reflect On - Why do we feel the need to overstate? - How can authenticity improve connections? A Different Perspective Exaggeration may stem from insecurity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet eight and a half" was the first one I encountered. Another was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-you-are-five-feet-eight-and-a-2/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“I not only stand on my two feet, but I walk on my two feet for my two feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keely-barton/i-not-only-stand-on-my-two-feet-but-i-walk-on-my-two-feet-for-my-two/) Keely Barton > [Soccer is like a poem, you write it with your soul and heart, but you say it with your feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humaira/soccer-is-like-a-poem-you-write-it-with-your-soul-and-heart-but-you/) [Humaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humaira/) > [I'm 5' 11" as I proudly say - just so I don't have to say six feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/i-m-5-11-as-i-proudly-say-just-so-i-don-t-have-to-say-six-feet/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [“Jesus was five feet and three and a half inches long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/jesus-was-five-feet-and-three-and-a-half-inches-long/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I never walked the streets of New York hoping to be a musical comedy star. For one thing, they would have thought I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/i-never-walked-the-streets-of-new-york-hoping-to-be-a-musical-comedy/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [I used to have six left feet. Now I only have one and a half left feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-mccartney/i-used-to-have-six-left-feet-now-i-only-have-one-and-a-half-left-feet/) [Jesse McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-mccartney/) > [You can't be six feet tall and invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-michael-of-kent/you-can-t-be-six-feet-tall-and-invisible/) [Princess Michael of Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-michael-of-kent/) > [You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. I am five feet two inches tall and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/you-have-to-understand-i-am-no-one-special-i-am-just-a-single-girl-i/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Well, duh. He was six feet, six inches tall and built like a brick shithouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/well-duh-he-was-six-feet-six-inches-tall-and-built-like-a-brick/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [At 10, I could walk down the street and see over everybody's head. I don't remember being little or having to look up at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/at-10-i-could-walk-down-the-street-and-see-over-everybody-s-head-i/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [For some people, 'ten feet tall' is just a metaphor. For me, it's more than twice my height!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/for-some-people-ten-feet-tall-is-just-a-metaphor-for-me-it-s-more/) [Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/) > [ It's hard for me to be serious. I can't really rub oil on me and go all the way with it \[laughs\]. I hear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-hard-for-me-to-be-serious-i-can-t-really-rub-oil-on-me-and-go/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give up the idea. I'm only six feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/i-wanted-to-have-a-career-in-sports-when-i-was-young-but-i-had-to/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I'm 5 feet tall, and that's on a good day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabela-moner/i-m-5-feet-tall-and-that-s-on-a-good-day/) [Isabela Moner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabela-moner/) ## More by John Knowles > [“Why talk about something you can't do anything about?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/why-talk-about-something-you-can-t-do-anything-about/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [There are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/there-are-special-strange-gifted-people-in-the-world-and-they-have-to/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/it-seemed-clear-that-wars-were-not-made-by-generations-and-their/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“I saw on the pad not an operator's number from my home town, but one which seemed to interrupt the beating of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/i-saw-on-the-pad-not-an-operator-s-number-from-my-home-town-but-one/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“Sixteen is the key and crucial and natural age for a human being to be, and people of all other ages are ranged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/sixteen-is-the-key-and-crucial-and-natural-age-for-a-human-being-to/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [the scornful force of his tone turned the word into a curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/the-scornful-force-of-his-tone-turned-the-word-into-a-curse/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [There was no harm in taking aim, even if the target was a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/there-was-no-harm-in-taking-aim-even-if-the-target-was-a-dream/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [We are all born equally far from the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/we-are-all-born-equally-far-from-the-sun/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Stranded in this mill town railroad yard while the whole world was converging elsewhere, we seemed to be nothing but children playing among heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/stranded-in-this-mill-town-railroad-yard-while-the-whole-world-was/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Sarcasm is the protest of the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/sarcasm-is-the-protest-of-the-weak/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from Massachusetts; New England, to them, meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-west-virginia-both-dad-and/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [It was hard to remember in the heavy and sensual clarity of these mornings; I forgot whom I hated and who hated me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/it-was-hard-to-remember-in-the-heavy-and-sensual-clarity-of-these/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Exeter was, I suspect, more crucial in my life than in the lives of most members of my class, and conceivably, than in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/exeter-was-i-suspect-more-crucial-in-my-life-than-in-the-lives-of/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Nothing endures. Not a tree. Not love. Not even death by violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/nothing-endures-not-a-tree-not-love-not-even-death-by-violence/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“He was nodding his head, his jaw tightening and his eyes closed on the tears. “I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/he-was-nodding-his-head-his-jaw-tightening-and-his-eyes-closed-on-the/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) [Explore all 107 John Knowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) ## More Feet quotes > [The minute you step onstage, you get eight feet taller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/the-minute-you-step-onstage-you-get-eight-feet-taller/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [We can't love a place or a person if we always have one foot out the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-can-t-love-a-place-or-a-person-if-we-always-have-one-foot-out-the/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [When I was 3, my parents strapped on a pair of Playskool plastic roller skates to my feet, and that's where the story begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/when-i-was-3-my-parents-strapped-on-a-pair-of-playskool-plastic/) [J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“Always wash you feet last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-wash-you-feet-last/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My husband really loves my feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-curry/my-husband-really-loves-my-feet/) [Ayesha Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-curry/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [Griezmann is an exceptional player. He's brimming with talent, and he knows how to keep his feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-matuidi/griezmann-is-an-exceptional-player-he-s-brimming-with-talent-and-he/) [Blaise Matuidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-matuidi/) > [I thought that I had no time for faith nor time to pray, then I saw an armless man saying his Rosary with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/i-thought-that-i-had-no-time-for-faith-nor-time-to-pray-then-i-saw-an/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [I could not prove the Years had feet-/Yet confident they run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-could-not-prove-the-years-had-feet-yet-confident-they-run/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) Browse all 6,557 Feet quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet eight and a half.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Knowles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-you-are-five-feet-eight-and-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-you-are-five-feet-eight-and-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/john-knowles-4729_feet_never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-yo_994865.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never say you are five feet nine when you are five feet eight and a half.” — John Knowles", "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": "John Knowles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Never say you are five feet...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-you-are-five-feet-eight-and-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/never-say-you-are-five-feet-nine-when-you-are-five-feet-eight-and-a/#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 } } ] } ```