--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew my mustache when I was nineteen in…" description: "\"I grew my mustache when I was nineteen in order to look older. I never shaved it off even though it overran its usefulness many, many years ago. Once y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/walter-cronkite-1759_answers_i-grew-my-mustache-when-i-was-nineteen-i_119177.png" --- # I grew my mustache when I was nineteen in order to look… ![“I grew my mustache when I was nineteen in order to look older. I never shaved it off even though it overran its usefulness many, many years ago. Once you get started in television, people associate you with your physical appearance - and that includes the mustache. So I can't shave it off now. If…” quote by Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/walter-cronkite-1759_answers_i-grew-my-mustache-when-i-was-nineteen-i_119177.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/walter-cronkite-1759_answers_i-grew-my-mustache-when-i-was-nineteen-i_119177.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/walter-cronkite-1759_answers_i-grew-my-mustache-when-i-was-nineteen-i_119177.png) > “I grew my mustache when I was nineteen in order to look older. I never shaved it off even though it overran its usefulness many, many years ago. Once you get started in television, people associate you with your physical appearance - and that includes the mustache. So I can't shave it off now. If I did, I'd have to answer too much mail.” [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) ## 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 kept a mustache for brand identity in TV, fearing that removing it would change public perception and increase personal correspondence. **In simple terms:** A mustache became a TV persona that couldn't be dropped. Key Takeaway Physical traits can become professional trademarks. Themes media branding image personal identity Mood reflective wry Type personal anecdote media commentary When to use this quote - A news anchor with a signature look - A YouTuber known for a distinctive hairstyle - An actor typecast by a physical feature Key Concepts public perception personal branding Practical Applications - Consider long‑term brand impact before altering a signature look Questions to Reflect On - When is it worth rebranding yourself? - How does audience expectation limit personal change? A Different Perspective Changing appearance can also refresh a stagnant brand. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Physical appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-appearance/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [“Krawg's vulturebeak nose twitched in the middle of the few undisciplined whiskers that grew where a mustache did not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-overstreet/krawg-s-vulturebeak-nose-twitched-in-the-middle-of-the-few/) [Jeffrey Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-overstreet/) > [I had to be clean-shaven all the time to play a Mormon missionary, so after I was done, I grew a mustache out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-rannells/i-had-to-be-clean-shaven-all-the-time-to-play-a-mormon-missionary-so/) [Andrew Rannells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-rannells/) > [“I grew a mustache, and I grew it in my garden. My mustache is organic, and will taste tasty on your mouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-grew-a-mustache-and-i-grew-it-in-my-garden-my-mustache-is-organic/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When you are 80, your physical appearance will change, but the personality won't,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-80-your-physical-appearance-will-change-but-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because of my filming commitments in America, you have to sign contracts where you can't change your physical appearance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/because-of-my-filming-commitments-in-america-you-have-to-sign/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [Self-improvement books, friends, and polite strangers often tell soothing lies about our physical appearance that prevent many of us from facing, discussing, and solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/self-improvement-books-friends-and-polite-strangers-often-tell/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“The world of man in the world of nature, cannot be change without physical appearance leads to positive possess by the initial human nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-afroz-alam/the-world-of-man-in-the-world-of-nature-cannot-be-change-without/) Syed Afroz Alam > [The two ethnic groups that remain fundamentally different from the Han Chinese - in terms of history, culture, language, religion and physical appearance -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/the-two-ethnic-groups-that-remain-fundamentally-different-from-the/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [When you talk like an asshole and look like an asshole, you're an asshole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/when-you-talk-like-an-asshole-and-look-like-an-asshole-you-re-an/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [Women would never be abusive about physical appearance. 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The physical appearance, the tall point guard, the ability to pass the ball. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-livingston/but-yeah-a-lot-of-people-compare-me-to-magic-the-physical-appearance/) [Shaun Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-livingston/) > [While cities are distinguished by their architecture and physical appearance, Bell and de-Shalit make a compelling case that many major world cities--and their inhabitants--also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-rybczynski/while-cities-are-distinguished-by-their-architecture-and-physical/) [Witold Rybczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-rybczynski/) > [A lot of women are turned off by the physical appearance of some of the first feminists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/a-lot-of-women-are-turned-off-by-the-physical-appearance-of-some-of/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) ## More by Walter Cronkite > [I'm a liberal, but I'm not biased. Seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-m-a-liberal-but-i-m-not-biased-seriously/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [I've gone from the most trusted man in America to one of the most debated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-ve-gone-from-the-most-trusted-man-in-america-to-one-of-the-most/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [I do think that the success, although still not complete... in the recognition of equal rights... to all Americans, regardless of color, creed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-do-think-that-the-success-although-still-not-complete-in-the/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Be kind to an old man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/be-kind-to-an-old-man/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [I learned early on that in the real world, the masks of tragedy and comedy adorn the proscenium of every life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-learned-early-on-that-in-the-real-world-the-masks-of-tragedy-and/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [It is clear that military force and our policy of preemption are alone insufficient to make us safe. 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