--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been making music since I was 14…" description: "\"I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.\" — Benjamin Booker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg" --- # I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I… ![“I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.” quote by Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg) > “I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.” [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He recounts starting music early but facing performance anxiety, highlighting personal growth and overcoming fear. **In simple terms:** Early music start, later fear. Key Takeaway Confront stage fright to grow. Themes music growth fear Mood determined vulnerable Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - live concerts - studio recording - music workshops Key Concepts performance anxiety self‑confidence Questions to Reflect On - What steps helped reduce your anxiety? - How does fear shape artistic expression? A Different Perspective Fear can limit opportunities despite talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Making Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [Ive been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/ive-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-but-for-a-while-i-was-afraid-to/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [If you're afraid to perform something you wish to , think of the worst thing that could happen cause of your action towards success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/if-you-re-afraid-to-perform-something-you-wish-to-think-of-the-worst/) Senoraroy > [I've always really been a big fan of rock music. I wanted to record rock music when I was 14 or 15, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/i-ve-always-really-been-a-big-fan-of-rock-music-i-wanted-to-record/) [Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/) > [I was interested in music since I was 14 years old. What really got me started was the first Led Zeppelin album... absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/i-was-interested-in-music-since-i-was-14-years-old-what-really-got-me/) [King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/) > [I've been pursuing music since I was 14.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanel-west-coast/i-ve-been-pursuing-music-since-i-was-14/) [Chanel West Coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanel-west-coast/) > [The thing is, don't get me wrong, I still love scoring and I hate to lose but now I see myself more as making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-henry/the-thing-is-don-t-get-me-wrong-i-still-love-scoring-and-i-hate-to/) [Thierry Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-henry/) > [I always was a writer, but then I wanted to do stand-up because I thought that was a way that I could perform what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/i-always-was-a-writer-but-then-i-wanted-to-do-stand-up-because-i/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [I'm always a competitor. I'm not there just to have a good time. I want to play well and perform well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kuchar/i-m-always-a-competitor-i-m-not-there-just-to-have-a-good-time-i-want/) [Matt Kuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kuchar/) > [We perform the show for the people that are in the room and then that performance is theirs forever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-urie/we-perform-the-show-for-the-people-that-are-in-the-room-and-then-that/) [Michael Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-urie/) > [I'm human. I want to play, I want to perform well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/i-m-human-i-want-to-play-i-want-to-perform-well/) [Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/) > [I firmly believe that if members of Congress fail to perform their most basic duty in passing a budget, then they do not deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schrader/i-firmly-believe-that-if-members-of-congress-fail-to-perform-their/) [Kurt Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schrader/) > [Playing in the NFL, you're expected to perform and perform well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jones/playing-in-the-nfl-you-re-expected-to-perform-and-perform-well/) [Daniel Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jones/) > [I'm a big Penn & Teller fan. But I myself was never very good; I was a teenage magician who performed at kids' parties.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-a-big-penn-teller-fan-but-i-myself-was-never-very-good-i-was-a/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [For me, I've always told myself, 'I can only do me in the ring.' When I go out there and perform, I can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-banks/for-me-i-ve-always-told-myself-i-can-only-do-me-in-the-ring-when-i-go/) [Sasha Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-banks/) > [It's the only way you're able to play as long as I have, is to go out there and perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-woodson/it-s-the-only-way-you-re-able-to-play-as-long-as-i-have-is-to-go-out/) [Charles Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-woodson/) ## More by Benjamin Booker > [I've grown up on gospel and blues music, and now it's a huge part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-ve-grown-up-on-gospel-and-blues-music-and-now-it-s-a-huge-part-of/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [In 2012, I started writing songs - not for the world to hear, but for certain people I needed to talk to. My family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/in-2012-i-started-writing-songs-not-for-the-world-to-hear-but-for/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [As soon as I started writing the first batch, I had a vision. I saw me on stage playing a certain type of music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/as-soon-as-i-started-writing-the-first-batch-i-had-a-vision-i-saw-me/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [Music helped me to get out of a rough period in my life when I really struggled to see any future for myself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/music-helped-me-to-get-out-of-a-rough-period-in-my-life-when-i-really/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [Folk-punk artists like This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb or Paul Baribeau were popular in the Florida punk community. I saw people early on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/folk-punk-artists-like-this-bike-is-a-pipe-bomb-or-paul-baribeau-were/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [I dont think I ever wanted to be a journalist - I was more interested in what comes from being a journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-dont-think-i-ever-wanted-to-be-a-journalist-i-was-more-interested/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [New Orleans style is funky - it's just as experimental as the city. There aren't any rules. If you want to wear a polka-dot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/new-orleans-style-is-funky-it-s-just-as-experimental-as-the-city/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [You have to have some kind of clarity or understanding of what's happening to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/you-have-to-have-some-kind-of-clarity-or-understanding-of-what-s/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [The time after college and before music was really rough. I couldn't afford food. I was eating bread and butter for five months. Living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/the-time-after-college-and-before-music-was-really-rough-i-couldn-t/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [Life is short, so I am one of those people - and luckily my girlfriend is too - who wants to live everywhere. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/life-is-short-so-i-am-one-of-those-people-and-luckily-my-girlfriend/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [I think everybody that grows up in Florida, you've got a little chip on your shoulder. It's not as bad as people think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-think-everybody-that-grows-up-in-florida-you-ve-got-a-little-chip/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [It's not enough to have good intentions. If you want to be a good person, you have to make good decisions all the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/it-s-not-enough-to-have-good-intentions-if-you-want-to-be-a-good/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [I don't think I ever wanted to be a journalist - I was more interested in what comes from being a journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-don-t-think-i-ever-wanted-to-be-a-journalist-i-was-more-interested/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [I hope that I can make music that helps people in some way or that they can connect with, and that I can just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-hope-that-i-can-make-music-that-helps-people-in-some-way-or-that/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [My grandfather learned to swim in the Navy by getting thrown off a boat into the ocean. He had to learn fast. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/my-grandfather-learned-to-swim-in-the-navy-by-getting-thrown-off-a/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) [Explore all 29 Benjamin Booker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [I used to be afraid of my temper, but it turns out I don't really have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-my-temper-but-it-turns-out-i-don-t-really-have/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm a pretty fearless person. I'm afraid of, like, creepy men in white vans and sidewalks with no streetlights. But I'm not afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/i-m-a-pretty-fearless-person-i-m-afraid-of-like-creepy-men-in-white/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) Darlene Senger > [Why am I so afraid to loose you,when you're not even mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-am-i-so-afraid-to-loose-you-when-you-re-not-even-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tell you, but I cant, becuase I'm afraid if I do you'll never treat me same the again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-want-to-tell-you-but-i-cant-becuase-i-m-afraid-if-i-do-you-ll-never/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [Mistakes I've made in the past make me afraid to try new things in the future. I want to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/mistakes-i-ve-made-in-the-past-make-me-afraid-to-try-new-things-in/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-are-too-afraid-of-failure-you-cant-possibly-do-what-needs-to/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [We cannot be afraid of the dark that they live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burnie-burns/we-cannot-be-afraid-of-the-dark-that-they-live-in/) [Burnie Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burnie-burns/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I'm still with that feeling that I am afraid of doing the wrong thing, because somebody is going to punish me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-m-still-with-that-feeling-that-i-am-afraid-of-doing-the-wrong-thing/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) Browse all 5,519 Afraid quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Booker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-but-for-a-while-i-was-afraid-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afraid" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-but-for-a-while-i-was-afraid-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/benjamin-booker-21369_afraid_i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-bu_318806.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.” — Benjamin Booker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Benjamin Booker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've been making music since I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-but-for-a-while-i-was-afraid-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/i-ve-been-making-music-since-i-was-14-but-for-a-while-i-was-afraid-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```