Indeed, and when you stick your neck out a bit and show them a bit of your "real" self, and they react negatively, it's... unpleasant.
Mmmyup.
How does the original quote reflect in your thinking? Is it a conscious thing, or more like with Gromit, where you sense the vibe and just run with it?
I put a lot of effort into knowing why I do, think, feel, react how I do, I am still a 9 though so I either need a former experience that I have already considered to compare a current situation with to know my thoughts/feels on it, or I need to retreat to my own space and ponder what my stance is, which is to say as much as I focus on self awareness my instinctive reactions are 'flowy' and not at all a conscious effort to be any particular way, it just 'is'.
Looking over the quote there are two things that stand out to me, the first is I am a strong person so I do relate to the "strength of the Eights" part and I figure that has to do with it being my wing, plus life experience that has shown me I am, the other thing is the rest are all muted versions of the type. If I'm around a fun loving 7 I would get wrapped up in their sense of fun and adventure, for me it's a sense of passion that excites me, however it takes an external thing to be in that space. If I'm in a situation where being dutiful is relevant then I will be, however it's not with the focus or dedication that a Six would show and I would slacken off easily if I 'felt' like it. I have a passion for learning and intellectualism, but the way Fives stick to it would bore the crap out of me rather quickly. I am creative but don't have the flair of a typical Four nor the confidence in my art. I can be impressive like a Three but I dislike the attention so can't maintain it. I am generous when it's convenient to me, not like a Two who would be willing to put themselves out, and I am idealistic yet don't fight for anything like a One would. So sure, I can relate to the saying, but in a muted way, to others in a moment it could look the part, but it's not consistent it's going with the vibe of the environment.
It's just a 9 thing, people who first meet me typically see the surface of someone who is balanced and mature, there are no distinct flaws that stand out because I can be any of the above and meet people on their wavelength, being So dom means the interconnections stand out to me effortlessly so merging into an environment requires no thinking on my behalf if I like the atmosphere, however it's just not maintainable as I don't have the core motivators other types have to result on those behaviours/focuses.