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Who Created The Classic 'Digging For Diamonds' Meme And How Did It Become So Prevalent? The History Behind The 'Never Give Up' Webcomic Explained
As you scroll through your social media feeds, you might come across some memes that are so prevalent that you can easily recognize their meaning or intent no matter the context in which are being used.
Such is the case of the well-known "Digging for Diamonds" meme, which illustrates the age-old struggle of persistence versus giving up.
With one miner bravely digging for precious gems while the other dejectedly walks away, the exploitable image is truly a gold mine for meme creators, who have constantly used their creativity to enhance the original comic to a mainstream level of internet fame over its long history online.
At some point or another over the last several years, you've likely encountered this motivational cartoon on X / Twitter or other social media platforms along with various adaptations and captions that give it new life and meaning.
If you’re curious about its origins, evolution and how it’s used in memes today, here's the story behind the Never Give Up webcomic.
Where Is The Digging for Diamonds Meme From?
The Digging for Diamonds comic used in the meme traces its roots back to an illustration created by artist Dum, who posted the original drawing on his Blogspot in April 2011.
The webcomic depicts two men in a diamond mine — one determinedly digging, while the other, notably dejected, walks away. Although the comic began circulating on motivational blogs in January 2012, it gained widespread recognition as a meme template several years later.
How Is The Digging for Diamonds Webcomic Used In Memes?
The webcomic remained somewhat commonly used by motivational social media pages and blogs until it was repurposed into numerous reaction memes going forward from 2016. For instance, in November 2016, X user @cryptonoah_ posted the "Never Give Up" webcomic to reference cryptocurrency.
Adaptations of the Digging for Diamonds webcomic often involve adding popular motivational quotes or humorous spins on the original concept. For instance, in November 2021, X @ijustbluemyself styled the meme as a Demotivational Poster captioned "Keep Gambling."
As the meme gained traction, various users began employing it to comment on different aspects of popular culture or personal experiences.
What Is The I Dropped X Because It Was Boring Meme?
One prominent derivative meme was created inspired by the Digging for Diamonds comic, which uses the phrasal template "I Dropped X Because It Was Boring" to humorously express dissatisfaction with certain franchises, TV shows, anime or games.
This meme template emerged after a viral joke tied to the long-running anime One Piece, where users would claim to have “dropped” various media due to boredom, juxtaposing their sentiments with the hope-filled image of perseverance represented in the Digging for Diamonds comic.
In June 2022, X users @JohnnySpittin and @Saitamagoated posted the earliest found derivative versions of the meme, with the posts mocking One Piece and Jojo's Bizarre Adventures animes.
For the full history of Digging for Diamonds, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
