--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and…" description: "\"I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and from then, I could never be bored.\" — Eliot Sumner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg" --- # I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and from then, I… ![“I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and from then, I could never be bored.” quote by Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg) > “I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and from then, I could never be bored.” [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early engagement with an instrument fosters lifelong curiosity and joy. **In simple terms:** Playing guitar early keeps boredom away. Key Takeaway Cultivate early passions. Themes creativity music growth Mood joyful inspired Type personal motivational When to use this quote - childhood music lessons - personal hobbies - creative careers Key Concepts Flow skill development intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - What hobby could you start now? - How does early skill affect later life? A Different Perspective May not suit those without access to instruments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I never picked up a guitar as a kid, partly because my dad didn't want the noise in our little back-to-back in Sheffield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cocker/i-never-picked-up-a-guitar-as-a-kid-partly-because-my-dad-didn-t-want/) [Joe Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cocker/) > [I actually first picked up an ukulele before I picked up a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-actually-first-picked-up-an-ukulele-before-i-picked-up-a-guitar/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [I picked up the guitar very late, in a very pagan way - I didn't know how to play, but I knew I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/i-picked-up-the-guitar-very-late-in-a-very-pagan-way-i-didn-t-know/) [Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/) > [Like all teenagers in the early '60s, I put down my hockey stick when the Beatles got big and picked up a guitar. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moranis/like-all-teenagers-in-the-early-60s-i-put-down-my-hockey-stick-when/) [Rick Moranis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moranis/) > [And, so, when I picked up the guitar, suddenly, just playing a couple of notes really, really spoke to me. It was almost like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/and-so-when-i-picked-up-the-guitar-suddenly-just-playing-a-couple-of/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I always loved rock guitar. I just never put it together that that's what I'd end up doing. I had no aspirations to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-always-loved-rock-guitar-i-just-never-put-it-together-that-that-s-2/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I picked up the guitar at 12 yrs old - basically, my mother and father bought it for me for Christmas. I played one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lake/i-picked-up-the-guitar-at-12-yrs-old-basically-my-mother-and-father/) [Greg Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lake/) > [I picked up a guitar, and I knew what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-gossard/i-picked-up-a-guitar-and-i-knew-what-i-wanted-to-do/) [Stone Gossard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-gossard/) > [I was trained at classical piano as a youngster back in PA. To rebel, I bought a drum set and played in some rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cardoni/i-was-trained-at-classical-piano-as-a-youngster-back-in-pa-to-rebel-i/) Jeff Cardoni > [I don't think I picked up the guitar in the first place as a way of getting women. There are probably better ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blunt/i-don-t-think-i-picked-up-the-guitar-in-the-first-place-as-a-way-of/) [James Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blunt/) > [Guitars have been the obsession of my life. I first picked one up at the age of four and Ive been a guitar junkie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-marr/guitars-have-been-the-obsession-of-my-life-i-first-picked-one-up-at/) [Johnny Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-marr/) > [I've always said the bass just happens to be the crayon I picked out of the box. I'd still be drawing the same pictures...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-claypool/i-ve-always-said-the-bass-just-happens-to-be-the-crayon-i-picked-out/) [Les Claypool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-claypool/) > [There's people that say “It's not fair You have all that stuff.” I wasn't born with it. It was a horrible process to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/there-s-people-that-say-it-s-not-fair-you-have-all-that-stuff-i-wasn/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [When I picked up my guitar, I spent the first day learning the chord E, the second day A, then B7, and all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gillan/when-i-picked-up-my-guitar-i-spent-the-first-day-learning-the-chord-e/) [Ian Gillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gillan/) > [I picked up the guitar at 11, but even before then, I was writing songs on the organ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/i-picked-up-the-guitar-at-11-but-even-before-then-i-was-writing-songs/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) ## More by Eliot Sumner > [In 2009, I fractured my skull in a freak accident at an L.A. restaurant. I suffered a seizure and was rushed into hospital. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/in-2009-i-fractured-my-skull-in-a-freak-accident-at-an-l-a-restaurant/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to music. I like studio gear. I'm always looking it up on eBay and seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-m-a-bit-of-a-geek-when-it-comes-to-music-i-like-studio-gear-i-m/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I think I have a lot of energy, and most of it is quite aggressive energy. But in a positive way, I think. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-think-i-have-a-lot-of-energy-and-most-of-it-is-quite-aggressive/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I'm very much a creature of habit. I don't like to try to new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-m-very-much-a-creature-of-habit-i-don-t-like-to-try-to-new-things/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I make my songs slightly abstract so that people can interpret them their own way. I think that's a lot more special, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-make-my-songs-slightly-abstract-so-that-people-can-interpret-them/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [As a kid, I loved to dress up as Ian Dury and run around hitting people with drumsticks. Members of my family, neighbours, friends,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/as-a-kid-i-loved-to-dress-up-as-ian-dury-and-run-around-hitting/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I don't look into myself too much. I don't think I'm shy so much as a better listener than I am a speaker. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-don-t-look-into-myself-too-much-i-don-t-think-i-m-shy-so-much-as-a/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I think everyone's got an obstacle in their career that they have to challenge. I think, in a way, that pushes you to prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-think-everyone-s-got-an-obstacle-in-their-career-that-they-have-to/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [My French is terrible, and my Spanish is even worse. I find Spanish really difficult. They speak so quickly, whereas in German, it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/my-french-is-terrible-and-my-spanish-is-even-worse-i-find-spanish/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [It stresses me out writing songs,; I get really super nervous and speedy. I feel like I'm possessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/it-stresses-me-out-writing-songs-i-get-really-super-nervous-and/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I started listening to a lot of Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young when I was 8 or 9 years old - I had siblings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-started-listening-to-a-lot-of-jimi-hendrix-and-neil-young-when-i/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I like to write from a slightly sad or complicated place. But with a sense of hope and happiness at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-like-to-write-from-a-slightly-sad-or-complicated-place-but-with-a/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [I like to move around. It suits me. I grew up in Wiltshire on a farm, and that's the only place I call home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-like-to-move-around-it-suits-me-i-grew-up-in-wiltshire-on-a-farm/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [It's always best to challenge yourself and go to a place out of your comfort zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/it-s-always-best-to-challenge-yourself-and-go-to-a-place-out-of-your/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) > [With social networks these days, everyone needs to know everything all the time. But the problem is, people are so used to short snippets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/with-social-networks-these-days-everyone-needs-to-know-everything-all/) [Eliot Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) [Explore all 39 Eliot Sumner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/) ## More Bored quotes > [Normal is so Boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/normal-is-so-boring/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Being blonde, for me, means never having to say: 'I'll have the honey-striped half-head of highlights for £200,' to a bored colourist in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-johnson/being-blonde-for-me-means-never-having-to-say-i-ll-have-the-honey/) [Rachel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-johnson/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When I get bored I say fck the police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-get-bored-i-say-fck-the-police/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [“She wouldn't pick up a fight him just because she was bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/she-wouldn-t-pick-up-a-fight-him-just-because-she-was-bored/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [...sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I get bored. And sometimes all I want, more than anything else in the world, is to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/sometimes-i-get-tired-sometimes-i-get-bored-and-sometimes-all-i-want/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [I was sober for five years a long time ago and was just bored out of my tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/i-was-sober-for-five-years-a-long-time-ago-and-was-just-bored-out-of/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) [Browse all 2,067 Bored quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and from then, I could never be bored.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eliot Sumner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and-from-then-i-could-never-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bored" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and-from-then-i-could-never-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e05/eliot-sumner-16684_bored_i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and_1786047.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I picked up the guitar when I was 4, and from then, I could never be bored.” — Eliot Sumner", "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": "Eliot Sumner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-sumner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I picked up the guitar when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and-from-then-i-could-never-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-sumner/i-picked-up-the-guitar-when-i-was-4-and-from-then-i-could-never-be/#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 } } ] } ```