--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started selling in the early '90s…" description: "\"I started selling in the early '90s, because at 18 years old, it's tough to go to your parents and say, 'Can I have some money for comic books?' Initia..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/john-dolmayan-5969_books_i-started-selling-in-the-early-90s-becau_323237.jpg" --- # I started selling in the early '90s, because at 18 years… ![“I started selling in the early '90s, because at 18 years old, it's tough to go to your parents and say, 'Can I have some money for comic books?' Initially, I started off by losing a lot of money trying to sell books at conventions and stuff like that until I figured out how to do it.” quote by John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/john-dolmayan-5969_books_i-started-selling-in-the-early-90s-becau_323237.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/john-dolmayan-5969_books_i-started-selling-in-the-early-90s-becau_323237.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/john-dolmayan-5969_books_i-started-selling-in-the-early-90s-becau_323237.jpg) > “I started selling in the early '90s, because at 18 years old, it's tough to go to your parents and say, 'Can I have some money for comic books?' Initially, I started off by losing a lot of money trying to sell books at conventions and stuff like that until I figured out how to do it.” [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) ## 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 early struggles selling comics, learning persistence after initial losses. **In simple terms:** He learned persistence after early failures. Key Takeaway Persist despite early setbacks. Themes perseverance entrepreneurship learning youth Mood motivational practical Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - comic conventions - online sales - budgeting Key Concepts market dynamics financial independence Questions to Reflect On - What early failures taught you resilience? - How can you apply that learning now? A Different Perspective Success often follows repeated trial and error. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Comic books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-books/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) ## Related quotes > [I've been collecting comics for well over twenty years and at a certain point I couldn't afford to buy more comics anymore, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/i-ve-been-collecting-comics-for-well-over-twenty-years-and-at-a/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [“he was sure that she, with a little more time and a little more wisdom, would come to accept that the novels he liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/he-was-sure-that-she-with-a-little-more-time-and-a-little-more-wisdom/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [When I was growing up, I was running around; I was a little tomboy. 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I did when I was a kid - I used to read a lot of 'X-Men' comic books.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlyne-yi/i-actually-don-t-read-comic-books-i-did-when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to/) [Charlyne Yi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlyne-yi/) > [Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/something-will-have-gone-out-of-us-as-a-people-if-we-ever-let-the/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“The man thinks of multiverses, of splits, of the momentous moments when there is a new reality created. He wonders about retroactive continuity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carljoe-javier/the-man-thinks-of-multiverses-of-splits-of-the-momentous-moments-when/) Carljoe Javier > [Life is not bad, and it doesn't look more real if it's ugly or it's gritty. Think of your own life. Most of what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/life-is-not-bad-and-it-doesn-t-look-more-real-if-it-s-ugly-or-it-s/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Metallica mythos...distilled the essences of the comic books and horror movies and the fantastic literature of metal itself...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-mythos-distilled-the-essences-of-the-comic-books-and-horror/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) > [I had read the 'Wonder Woman' comic books when I was a child; I was much more interested in those than I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-carter/i-had-read-the-wonder-woman-comic-books-when-i-was-a-child-i-was-much/) [Lynda Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-carter/) > [One of the things I've always loved about genre, comic books, science fiction and fantasy is that there's a certain level of playfulness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-loved-about-genre-comic-books-science/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Comic books have gone mainstream. The audience is there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-shipp/comic-books-have-gone-mainstream-the-audience-is-there/) [John Wesley Shipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-shipp/) > [I spent a lot of time drawing and writing little comic books, and my mom was a rapper, so I would steal her instrumentals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-thee-stallion/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-drawing-and-writing-little-comic-books-and-my/) [Megan Thee Stallion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-thee-stallion/) > [I've always had a soft spot for comic books. I learned to read from them. The words in them were so interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-ve-always-had-a-soft-spot-for-comic-books-i-learned-to-read-from/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) ## More by John Dolmayan > [I never wanted System to take a hiatus. I think it was a disastrous move for us, because we never reached our peak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/i-never-wanted-system-to-take-a-hiatus-i-think-it-was-a-disastrous/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [You've gotta let things go in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/you-ve-gotta-let-things-go-in-life/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [My band is stupid, and we're gonna continue to be stupid, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/my-band-is-stupid-and-we-re-gonna-continue-to-be-stupid-i-guess/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [If you're in love with a girl, you go out with a girl and you break up with her it doesn't mean you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/if-you-re-in-love-with-a-girl-you-go-out-with-a-girl-and-you-break-up/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [When you're passionate about music, you don't give up on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/when-you-re-passionate-about-music-you-don-t-give-up-on-it/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [The fact is I don't write songs, per se; I've written a couple here and there, but that's not my forte.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/the-fact-is-i-don-t-write-songs-per-se-i-ve-written-a-couple-here-and/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [There's four individuals in the band. I don't speak for any of the individuals except for myself, and neither does Serj. But because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/there-s-four-individuals-in-the-band-i-don-t-speak-for-any-of-the/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [The definition of a band is the selflessness. That's what a society is, isn't it? We're all thinking, like, together we make something great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/the-definition-of-a-band-is-the-selflessness-that-s-what-a-society-is/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [Don't believe everything the famous people tell you - they don't know anything for the most part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/don-t-believe-everything-the-famous-people-tell-you-they-don-t-know/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [It's hard to take a stand. 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