Quotes - His Heart Was Two Sizes Too Small. - Shmoop

Source: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Author: Dr. Seuss

"His heart was two sizes too small."

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason. It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

Back to all quotes Dr. SeussLonelinessHumorFunnyImaginationSadLiterature

Context

This line is from the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, written by Dr. Seuss (1956).

Oh, man. Next to Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch is probably one of the vilest Christmas baddies of all time. This quote pops up in the first few pages of the story when the narrator attempts to explain why the Grinch hates Christmas, but, really, he comes up short. There's just no reason. He's kind of mental? His shoes are too tight? Or maybe his heart is just two sizes too small?

This is actually a pretty striking image. You get the picture of this poor Grinch up on his mountain with a heart that just can't feel love and kindness like a regular Who down in Who-ville. He's just not capable of understanding all the joy and beauty of the Christmas season. Man, it almost makes you feel bad for this guy.

Almost. (Hey, he does try to steal Christmas, so we've gotta hate him for just a little bit longer, okay?)

Where you've heard it

It's never good to be told you have a heart that's two sizes too small. It usually means that, like the Grinch, you've gotta try to get a whole lot more love in your heart.

Additional Notable References:

• This line pops up in the classic 1966 TV cartoon and, later, the Grinch's heart grows "three sizes." Yay!
• In the classic Christmas song, the Grinch's heart is "full of unwashed socks" but there's no mention of it being two sizes too small. Darn.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

It kind of depends on who you're talking about for this one. If it's a universal bad guy—like your boss who always makes you work on Saturdays—then you're good. But if you're directing this one toward your Uncle Milford and he overhears, you might want to run and hide. So quote with caution.

See All Quotes