--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If somebody had said to me back in 1988…" description: "\"If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I would have keeled over with shock because I w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg" --- # If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be… ![“If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I would have keeled over with shock because I wouldn't have believed them.” quote by John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg) > “If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I would have keeled over with shock because I wouldn't have believed them.” [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) ## 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 reflects on how unlikely it seemed to continue a music career for decades, highlighting surprise at longevity. **In simple terms:** He was shocked at the idea of making music for 25 years. Key Takeaway Embrace long‑term dedication. Themes career music longevity surprise dedication Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - planning a music career - maintaining creative output - adapting to industry changes - overcoming self‑doubt Key Concepts self‑efficacy future‑self resilience Questions to Reflect On - What keeps you motivated over decades? - How do you adapt your art over time? A Different Perspective Longevity also depends on market trends and personal health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Making Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If somebody told me people would still care about our music 25 years ago, I would have thought they were crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/if-somebody-told-me-people-would-still-care-about-our-music-25-years/) [Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/) > [The music I write, I feel, is not the kind of music for a 25-year-old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/the-music-i-write-i-feel-is-not-the-kind-of-music-for-a-25-year-old/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [In the US in the 1900's 60 % of people were employed on the farms. Today it's less than 1%. If you told people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/in-the-us-in-the-1900-s-60-of-people-were-employed-on-the-farms-today/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I just wouldn't have believed a ball could be hit that hard. I've never seen anything like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bucky-harris/i-just-wouldn-t-have-believed-a-ball-could-be-hit-that-hard-i-ve/) Bucky Harris > [Nothing in his touch said he considered her fractured, considered her damaged goods, and that gave her a freedom she wouldn't have believed possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/nothing-in-his-touch-said-he-considered-her-fractured-considered-her/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [Before 'Schindler's List,' I wouldn't have believed movies had a lot of power for social change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/before-schindler-s-list-i-wouldn-t-have-believed-movies-had-a-lot-of-2/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [No one told me that you could be alive and be happy. No one told me, and if someone had I wouldn't have believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/no-one-told-me-that-you-could-be-alive-and-be-happy-no-one-told-me/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [If anyone had told us in 1945 that there are certain battles we'll have to fight again we wouldn't have believed it. Racism, anti-Semitism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/if-anyone-had-told-us-in-1945-that-there-are-certain-battles-we-ll/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you'd told me five years ago, when I was on my sofa with no professional contract, not a lot going for me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-etheridge/if-you-d-told-me-five-years-ago-when-i-was-on-my-sofa-with-no/) [Neil Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-etheridge/) > [“I wouldn't have believed that after so much pain, my heart could still handle this kind of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/i-wouldn-t-have-believed-that-after-so-much-pain-my-heart-could-still/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [I wouldn't have believed it. I still barely do, truthfully. I'm so continually fortunate that I keep coming across these smart, interesting, creative people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/i-wouldn-t-have-believed-it-i-still-barely-do-truthfully-i-m-so/) [Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/) > [If it weren't my life, I wouldn't have believed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-it-weren-t-my-life-i-wouldn-t-have-believed-it/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [If someone told me I could play two Asian Cup finals, I wouldn't have believed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-chhetri/if-someone-told-me-i-could-play-two-asian-cup-finals-i-wouldn-t-have/) [Sunil Chhetri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-chhetri/) > [If you would have told me that I'd be in a European final back when I was at Maidstone then I wouldn't have believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-smalling/if-you-would-have-told-me-that-i-d-be-in-a-european-final-back-when-i/) [Chris Smalling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-smalling/) > [If someone told my parents that their oldest child was going to be a major league pitcher, they wouldn't have believed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-smoltz/if-someone-told-my-parents-that-their-oldest-child-was-going-to-be-a/) [John Smoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-smoltz/) ## More by John Wesley Harding > [There's nothing I like more than a writer who can sing, or a musician who has a book out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/there-s-nothing-i-like-more-than-a-writer-who-can-sing-or-a-musician/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [When I was writing this new bunch of songs, I was singing a lot lower, because they were more intimate in a way. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/when-i-was-writing-this-new-bunch-of-songs-i-was-singing-a-lot-lower/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [I just love putting on a show. I get a tremendous sense of community out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/i-just-love-putting-on-a-show-i-get-a-tremendous-sense-of-community/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [The only problem with conjuring people is they insist on getting paid, unlike a writer who would do a reading for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/the-only-problem-with-conjuring-people-is-they-insist-on-getting-paid/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [A friend of mine pointed out to me, "Why do you separate your writing and your music?" I got (writers) Rick Moody and Jonathan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/a-friend-of-mine-pointed-out-to-me-why-do-you-separate-your-writing/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [If they'd said, "Do you want to be John Wesley Harding or Wesley Stace in 25 years' time?" I would have said Wesley Stace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/if-they-d-said-do-you-want-to-be-john-wesley-harding-or-wesley-stace/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [The reason I did the name change is simple. I wrote a bunch of autobiographical material and I was really enjoying myself doing it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/the-reason-i-did-the-name-change-is-simple-i-wrote-a-bunch-of/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [Aloha Earth, this is Elvis calling. You'll find me in the big house now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/aloha-earth-this-is-elvis-calling-you-ll-find-me-in-the-big-house-now/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [I do find that most fans are aware of my writing career and have known my real name for many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/i-do-find-that-most-fans-are-aware-of-my-writing-career-and-have/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [With me more than anybody it seems silly having a stage name, and there wasn't any particular difference between me and John Wesley Harding.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/with-me-more-than-anybody-it-seems-silly-having-a-stage-name-and/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [Novels may have taken care of the emotional business for me, which has allowed music to be more emotional for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/novels-may-have-taken-care-of-the-emotional-business-for-me-which-has/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [The people you might lose are the people who look at a marquee and are like, "Oh, John Wesley Harding is playing. I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/the-people-you-might-lose-are-the-people-who-look-at-a-marquee-and/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [I took the name originally as a kind of disguise because I didn't want people to know I was about to embark on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/i-took-the-name-originally-as-a-kind-of-disguise-because-i-didn-t/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) [Explore all 14 John Wesley Harding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I would have keeled over with shock because I wouldn't have believed them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Wesley Harding" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988-that-i-d-still-be-making/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988-that-i-d-still-be-making/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/john-wesley-harding-33894_ifs_if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988_224119.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I…” — John Wesley Harding", "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": "John Wesley Harding", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If somebody had said to me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988-that-i-d-still-be-making/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988-that-i-d-still-be-making/#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 } } ] } ```