---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things began to go wrong when I was…"
description: "\"“Things began to go wrong when I was seventeen. My band’s twenty-year-old lead guitarist earned seven years in jail for a drug-fuelled spree of violenc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/mark-rice-60385_bands_things-began-to-go-wrong-when-i-was-seve_3021703.jpg"
---

#  Things began to go wrong when I was seventeen. My band’s…

![“Things began to go wrong when I was seventeen. My band’s twenty-year-old lead guitarist earned seven years in jail for a drug-fuelled spree of violence. The other band members were quick to let go of their musical dreams, but I never did. They did the ‘mature’ thing: after writing off the band as…” quote by Mark Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/mark-rice-60385_bands_things-began-to-go-wrong-when-i-was-seve_3021703.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/mark-rice-60385_bands_things-began-to-go-wrong-when-i-was-seve_3021703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/mark-rice-60385_bands_things-began-to-go-wrong-when-i-was-seve_3021703.jpg)

> ““Things began to go wrong when I was seventeen. My band’s twenty-year-old lead guitarist earned seven years in jail for a drug-fuelled spree of violence. The other band members were quick to let go of their musical dreams, but I never did. They did the ‘mature’ thing: after writing off the band as a teenage fantasy, they got real jobs and made some money. They called it growing up. I called it giving up.””

[Mark Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rice/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Choosing to persevere in artistic dreams despite peers abandoning them, rejecting the notion of “growing up” as giving up.

**In simple terms:** Stay committed to your passion despite others quitting.

Key Takeaway

Keep pursuing your art.

Themes

perseverance art identity

Mood

reflective motivational

Type

philosophical personal

When to use this quote

- band formation
- career change
- creative projects
- life transitions

Key Concepts

creative resilience personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “growing up” mean to you?
- How do you balance practicality with passion?

A Different Perspective

Societal pressure may label persistence as unrealistic.

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[Band Teenage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band-teenage-4895227/) [Bands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bands/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitarist Earned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitarist-earned-4895224/) [Heavy metal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavy-metal/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Mark-rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark-rice-117942/) [Metallic-dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metallic-dreams-121400/) [Rock music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-music/) [Seventeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventeen/) [Seventeen Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventeen-band-4895225/) [Teenage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenage/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-band-4895226/)

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## More by Mark Rice

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