2026-01-18 10:30:55

Someone who can hold Bitcoin for ten years without moving it is often someone who is also not bad at other things. The reasoning is straightforward—patience, resolve, and resilience are all there.

But here’s the problem. When you look closely at the stories behind those who actually complete a ten-year holding cycle, most of them are not steadfast believers. Instead, they are "forced to lock up their assets" by life: losing passwords due to computer crashes, unable to recover them for a while, just leaving it as is. Or they simply went through a cycle, and after coming out, found that the wallet was still there. Some hard drives have been lying in junk piles for years, and one day, out of boredom, they find it and are surprised. Some even just forget they ever had it.

Those who truly persevere through willpower? They are a rare breed. For most people, long-term holding is actually a product of accident and forgetfulness.

BTC-0.08%

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

11 Likes

Reward
11
7
Repost
Share

Comment

0/400

CrossChainBreather

· 7h ago

Haha, this is the real truth. Most hodlers are actually just played by fate. Forget the password, lose the hard drive, the wallet is sealed away—then ten years later, it doubles. How lucky is that? Those who truly rely on perseverance were already washed out in 2017 or during some major crash. If you don't believe it, just look. Accidental lock-up is the strongest moat for holding coins. That's hilarious.

View OriginalReply0

Whale_Whisperer

· 7h ago

This is incredible, this is the real truth. I've seen so many "ten-year HODLers," and when asked, I realize they completely forget they even have this asset, haha. Unexpectedly locking up assets is the real key. Willpower to hold? Don't make me laugh, those are all post-hoc stories made up by armchair strategists. Wow, this analysis really hits the nail on the head. I know someone who became a millionaire because their computer broke down. So, the strongest HODL strategy is—don't think about it. Why is this article so heart-wrenching, it feels like it's talking about me.

View OriginalReply0

TokenRationEater

· 7h ago

Haha, I knew it. What resilience against pressure? Half of them are just suffering from amnesia. --- That’s a harsh statement. A few of my longtime hodler friends have indeed had their hard drives fail and couldn’t access their holdings at all. --- Accidents and forgetfulness—this phrase hit me hard, felt like it was talking about myself. --- So the strongest holders are actually the ones with the worst memory. --- Reminds me of a story about my friend: he left his wallet on an old computer for seven or eight years and only remembered it the day before yesterday. --- Brilliant! Others practice for ten years to become immortals, but we forget for ten years to become kings. --- If you think about it the other way around, does that mean the people who make the most money are passive investors? --- One in a hundred in willpower? I think most are just one in a hundred lucky ones. --- I don’t know why, but after reading this, I feel more healed than reading those motivational articles. --- Anyway, my BTC is a typical forgetful mode. At least I didn’t lose money.

View OriginalReply0

SingleForYears

· 8h ago

Haha, this is ridiculous. It feels like you're talking about me. I totally resonate with the idea of losing passwords on hard drives. Damn, accidents and forgetfulness are the strongest HODL strategies. Talking about faith is less practical than just losing the password altogether. Holding coins for ten years? I’ve even forgotten I had this thing. You're not wrong. Bitcoin's rise is actually supported by a bunch of forgetful patients holding on. Damn, willpower? Don't make me laugh. I'm just trapped by life.

View OriginalReply0

ForkYouPayMe

· 8h ago

Haha, this is reality. All beliefs are damn forced out. The story of holding coins for ten years always comes down to one word—laziness. Forgetting, losing, crashing—by a stroke of luck, it becomes a "long-term supporter." Those who can truly stick with it for ten years, I respect you as a real man. But honestly, most of it is just life "violently managing" their wallets. Unexpected gains > steadfast belief, forever. Losing your password might be the best investment strategy, hilarious.

View OriginalReply0

notSatoshi1971

· 8h ago

I'm super amused, this is me haha, the hard drive has been in an old box for five years before I remembered. ------- Accidental locking of funds is just part of the learning process. Who the hell really relies on willpower? ------- So, most people who hold coins for ten years are actually forgetful geniuses. I absolutely buy into this logic. ------- Forgetting the password might actually be the best investment strategy? I believe it. ------- It's hard to keep it together, feels like I'm talking about myself. The computer broke and I left it untouched for seven or eight years.

View OriginalReply0

MetaMasked

· 8h ago

Haha, this is the truth. All that faith and conviction are just later stories; it's really just good luck and forgetfulness. Forgot the password? Isn't that the ultimate reverse operation? I know a guy who threw his hard drive in the trash, and only remembered he still had coins when he picked it up. Truly a matter of fate. So, the most successful investment strategy is to simply forget, absolutely. 99% of people holding coins for ten years are actually HODLing unintentionally; their beliefs are all just made-up stories.

View OriginalReply0