"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong"
About this Quote
The key move is how she pairs discipline with permission. “Trying to do what you really want to do” acknowledges desire as work, not a pure feeling. It’s not “be yourself,” it’s “keep attempting,” which quietly validates repeated failure as part of the job. Then she pivots to her real thesis: love and inspiration aren’t decorative; they’re navigational. In Fitzgerald’s world, “going wrong” isn’t just artistic missteps, it’s the existential fear of wasting your one life chasing an improbable sound.
There’s subtext in the gentle certainty: “I don’t think you can go wrong.” She avoids the arrogance of a guarantee, but still offers a compass. Coming from a performer whose genius often looked effortless, the sentence insists that the point isn’t perfection or even success. It’s alignment. Love keeps you honest; inspiration keeps you moving. Everything else, she implies, is noise.
Quote Details
| Topic | Never Give Up |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Fitzgerald, Ella. (2026, January 16). Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/just-dont-give-up-trying-to-do-what-you-really-127931/
Chicago Style
Fitzgerald, Ella. "Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/just-dont-give-up-trying-to-do-what-you-really-127931/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/just-dont-give-up-trying-to-do-what-you-really-127931/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.







