--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first stringed instrument was a cigar…" description: "\"My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I cut and turned the pegs and strung the wires myself.\" — Carl Sandburg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png" --- # My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I… ![“My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I cut and turned the pegs and strung the wires myself.” quote by Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png) > “My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I cut and turned the pegs and strung the wires myself.” [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker built a musical instrument from simple materials, emphasizing DIY creativity. **In simple terms:** Made a banjo from a cigar box and parts. Key Takeaway Create and personalize your own tools. Themes creativity self‑reliance music Mood nostalgic proud Type inspirational historical When to use this quote - home music sessions - craft workshops - school music classes Key Concepts folk culture handcrafting Questions to Reflect On - What everyday items could become instruments? - How does making your own instrument affect your music? A Different Perspective Limited resources may restrict sound quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/) [Banjo Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo-cut-1991353/) [Banjos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjos/) [Box Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/box-banjo-1991355/) [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Cigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigar/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Peg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peg/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stringed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stringed-1991354/) [Stringed Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stringed-instrument-1991352/) [Wire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wire/) ## Related quotes > [Musically, I didn't relate to Berlin. There seemed to be a lot of machine music made there - I don't think I saw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/musically-i-didn-t-relate-to-berlin-there-seemed-to-be-a-lot-of/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [I play guitar, bass, drums, piano, and pretty much any sort of stringed instrument - besides violin or cello.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-foster/i-play-guitar-bass-drums-piano-and-pretty-much-any-sort-of-stringed/) [Mark Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-foster/) > [In oddball places, the electric guitar has been taken as an almost alien object - this weird, six-stringed instrument that fell down to earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-cooder/in-oddball-places-the-electric-guitar-has-been-taken-as-an-almost/) [Ry Cooder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-cooder/) > [“The heart is a The thousand-stringed instrument That can only be tuned with Love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-heart-is-a-the-thousand-stringed-instrument-that-can-only-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Drum on your drums, batter on your banjos, sob on the long cool winding saxophones. Go to it, O jazzmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/drum-on-your-drums-batter-on-your-banjos-sob-on-the-long-cool-winding/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Cham is the only thing to screw one up when one is down a peg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/cham-is-the-only-thing-to-screw-one-up-when-one-is-down-a-peg/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Knot the tie and go to work, unknot the tie and go to sleep. I sleep. I dream. I wake. I sing. I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/knot-the-tie-and-go-to-work-unknot-the-tie-and-go-to-sleep-i-sleep-i/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [I don't think Peg Bundy was very much like Katey Sagal. Definitely the wardrobe Gemma from Sons of Anarchy wears might be a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-don-t-think-peg-bundy-was-very-much-like-katey-sagal-definitely-the/) [Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/) > [You might say that certain words are only pegs to hang intonations on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/you-might-say-that-certain-words-are-only-pegs-to-hang-intonations-on/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Sometimes I think of life as a process where everybody is discouraging and taking everybody else down a peg or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/sometimes-i-think-of-life-as-a-process-where-everybody-is/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [It's just a moment that doesn't feel 100-percent truthful, a kind of a square peg/round hole situation. Which is why the preproduction on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/it-s-just-a-moment-that-doesn-t-feel-100-percent-truthful-a-kind-of-a/) [Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/) > [There was this real fear in doing 'Square Pegs' after getting such a fast ride to glory on 'Saturday Night Live'. I was afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-beatts/there-was-this-real-fear-in-doing-square-pegs-after-getting-such-a/) [Anne Beatts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-beatts/) > [If we're lucky, writer and reader alike, we'll finish the last line or two of a short story and then just sit for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/if-we-re-lucky-writer-and-reader-alike-we-ll-finish-the-last-line-or/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I love Prada shirts because they're so decorative and figure-hugging, but I also like Reiss shirts because they're clean, simple and look as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bamber/i-love-prada-shirts-because-they-re-so-decorative-and-figure-hugging/) [Jamie Bamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bamber/) > [This kind of thing always amazed Ginny--people who just walked away from institutions. People who left school when they didn't see the point. Aunt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/this-kind-of-thing-always-amazed-ginny-people-who-just-walked-away/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) ## More by Carl Sandburg > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Gather the stars if you wish it so Gather the songs and keep them. Gather the faces of women. Gather for keeping years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/gather-the-stars-if-you-wish-it-so-gather-the-songs-and-keep-them/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Back of every mistaken venture and defeat is the laughter of wisdom, if you listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/back-of-every-mistaken-venture-and-defeat-is-the-laughter-of-wisdom/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Somebody's little girl- how easy it is to make a sob story over who she once was and who she now is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/somebody-s-little-girl-how-easy-it-is-to-make-a-sob-story-over-who/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Let your heart look on white sea spray and be lonely. Love is a fool star. You and a ring of stars may mention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/let-your-heart-look-on-white-sea-spray-and-be-lonely-love-is-a-fool/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves. They flickered out saying: "It was worth being a bubble, just to have held that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/two-bubbles-found-they-had-rainbows-on-their-curves-they-flickered/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Poetry is a series of explanations of life, fading off into horizons too swift for explanations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/poetry-is-a-series-of-explanations-of-life-fading-off-into-horizons/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [There are ten men in me and I do not know or understand one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/there-are-ten-men-in-me-and-i-do-not-know-or-understand-one-of-them/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [The drum in a dream pounds loud to the dreamer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/the-drum-in-a-dream-pounds-loud-to-the-dreamer/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/time-is-the-most-valuable-coin-in-your-life-you-and-you-alone-will/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/poetry-is-the-opening-and-closing-of-a-door-leaving-those-who-look/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [a women is like a tea bag.it's only when she is in hot water that you realize how strong she is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/a-women-is-like-a-tea-bag-it-s-only-when-she-is-in-hot-water-that-you/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-name-is-truth-and-i-am-the-most-elusive-captive-in-the-universe/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [I won't take my religion from any man who never works except with his mouth and never cherishes any memory except the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/i-won-t-take-my-religion-from-any-man-who-never-works-except-with-his/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Rest is not a word of free people. Rest is a monarchical word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/rest-is-not-a-word-of-free-people-rest-is-a-monarchical-word/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) [Explore all 320 Carl Sandburg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) ## More Banjo quotes > [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) [Rory Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-block/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/) [Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/) > [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/) [Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/) > [“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-doherty/banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thin-skin-diaphragm-is-stretched/) [Liz Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-doherty/) > [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My dad also plays a little banjo and guitar, my mom plays the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-mcconnell/my-dad-also-plays-a-little-banjo-and-guitar-my-mom-plays-the-mandolin/) [Page McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-mcconnell/) > [Whenever a big white man picks up a banjo, my cheeks tighten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/whenever-a-big-white-man-picks-up-a-banjo-my-cheeks-tighten/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [“There was talk of the Centaur being moved into the elephant cages to make room for a banjo-picking Minotaur. Surrendering his meager furnishings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/there-was-talk-of-the-centaur-being-moved-into-the-elephant-cages-to/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) [Browse all 104 Banjo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I cut and turned the pegs and strung the wires myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sandburg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar-box-banjo-where-i-cut-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Banjo" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar-box-banjo-where-i-cut-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/carl-sandburg-952_banjo_my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar_986329.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I cut and turned the pegs and strung the wires…” — Carl Sandburg", "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": "Carl Sandburg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My first stringed instrument was a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar-box-banjo-where-i-cut-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-first-stringed-instrument-was-a-cigar-box-banjo-where-i-cut-and/#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 } } ] } ```