"Success sometimes can really bite you in the shorts"
About this Quote
The intent is cautionary, but not moralistic. "Sometimes" softens it: success isn't a villain, it's a fickle animal. "Bite you" turns fame into something with teeth, something you don't fully control. And "in the shorts" points straight at humiliation. Not tragedy, not existential collapse - the kind of public awkwardness that comes from being overexposed, typecast, memed, or held to a nostalgic version of yourself.
Context is everything with Osmond. A child star turned squeaky-clean teen idol, he lived inside a brand built by adults and adored by strangers. That kind of early, manufactured success ages badly: it can freeze you in a persona, invite backlash, and make every reinvention feel like a betrayal of someone else's memory. The line is a wink at the audience and a quiet boundary for himself. He's saying: applause feels great, until it turns into entitlement, scrutiny, and the sudden realization that the thing lifting you up can just as easily yank you down - pants included.
Quote Details
| Topic | Success |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Osmond, Donny. (2026, January 15). Success sometimes can really bite you in the shorts. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/success-sometimes-can-really-bite-you-in-the-125069/
Chicago Style
Osmond, Donny. "Success sometimes can really bite you in the shorts." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/success-sometimes-can-really-bite-you-in-the-125069/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Success sometimes can really bite you in the shorts." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/success-sometimes-can-really-bite-you-in-the-125069/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.








