"Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded"
About this Quote
The intent is practical advice, but it’s also a quiet self-portrait. Hendrix’s playing sounded like liberation, yet it was built on repetition, sore hands, and the claustrophobia of chasing a sound you can hear in your head but can’t yet pull from the strings. “Stick with it” is less motivational poster than survival strategy, the ethic behind the spectacle.
Context matters: Hendrix came up through the grind of the Chitlin’ Circuit, as a sideman expected to be flawless on command, then rocketed into a British scene eager to exoticize and consume him. That whiplash creates pressure to seem inexhaustible. This quote demystifies the virtuoso and shifts the reward away from applause toward intimacy: the moment the instrument stops being an opponent and starts becoming a voice. The subtext is almost tender - commitment is how you earn that conversation.
Quote Details
| Topic | Never Give Up |
|---|---|
| Source | Verified source: Guitar Player: Jimi Hendrix Interview (Jimi Hendrix, 1968)
Evidence: “You have to stick with it,” he adds. “Sometimes, you are going to be so frustrated you want to give up the guitar – you’ll hate the guitar. But all of this is just a part of learning, because if you stick with it, you’re going to be rewarded.” (December 1968 issue; exact page not verified from primary scan). This appears to be the original verified source of the quote: a Jimi Hendrix interview first published in Guitar Player, December 1968. A 2023 Guitar Player republication explicitly states 'Originally published in Guitar Player, December 1968' and preserves a fuller wording than the shortened quote commonly repeated online. The widely circulated version omits 'all of this is just a part of learning' and changes 'you’re going to be rewarded' to 'you’re gonna be rewarded.' I did not verify the exact page number from a scan of the 1968 magazine itself, so only the issue date can be confirmed from the available primary-source republication. This is not from song lyrics, an autobiography, or an award speech. It is from an interview. Other candidates (2) The Great G.O.A.T. Debate (Paul Volponi, 2022) compilation95.9% ... JIMI HENDRIX ( 1942–1970 ) " Sometimes you want to give up the guitar . You'll hate the guitar . But if you stick... Tell Me Sweet Little Lies (Grey’s Anatomy, 2006) primary60.0% Song: "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies" by Grey’s Anatomy |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hendrix, Jimi. (2026, March 12). Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sometimes-you-want-to-give-up-the-guitar-youll-41387/
Chicago Style
Hendrix, Jimi. "Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded." FixQuotes. March 12, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sometimes-you-want-to-give-up-the-guitar-youll-41387/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded." FixQuotes, 12 Mar. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sometimes-you-want-to-give-up-the-guitar-youll-41387/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
