You Want $1K XRP? You’ll Need Iron Nerves — Or ‘Mental Illness’, Analyst Says

A pro-XRP software developer sparked fresh debate this week by saying it takes “serious conviction” to hold volatile coins like XRP through long, wild swings.

Vincent Van Code said holding XRP all the way to $1,000 — let alone $10,000 — would take “mental illness.”

His comments have drawn attention not just for the blunt wording but for the story they tell about the human side of crypto risk.

According to Van Code, the real test begins long before a coin hits big numbers. He pointed to Bitcoin as an example: Bitcoin traded under $1 in 2010 and now sits above $110,000.

Many claim they would have held from those early days, but Van Code argued most people would have sold around $100.

Every talks about “oh if I bought BTC for $1 id because billionaire today”.

What you fail to realize is 99% of people would sell even at $100.

Or what about when it dumped from $10k down to $1k then back up again.

You really have to almost be mentally unstable to hold from $1…

— Vincent Van Code (@vincent_vancode) October 19, 2025

Reports have also noted whales who were inactive for more than a decade recently moving coins bought for under $1,000 and cashing out millions or billions.

The famous case of the French buyer who spent 10,000 BTC on pizza remains a blunt reminder that people do sell, sometimes at huge regret.

Technical calls are mixed. Ether Nasyonal, a crypto analyst, told followers that XRP is “cooking something” on the 1-month chart and highlighted an important demand zone.

Following the sharp drop and quick bounce on Oct. 10, XRP failed to break past $2.5 and is still short of the $3 level. The token is down 14% this month.

$XRP is cooking something up.

Chart has been inverted, but the story remains the same.

XRP is still gathering strength within the demand zone emerging from the 2018 major resistance.

While the direction may seem confusing, the structure is clear.

The next major move… https://t.co/HT9Sqhembx pic.twitter.com/s5grcnCMFZ

— EᴛʜᴇʀNᴀꜱʏᴏɴᴀL (@EtherNasyonaL) October 19, 2025

Past movements add weight to caution: XRP plunged more than 90% after peaking above $3 back in 2018, a crash that punished holders who sold in panic and then watched prices recover later.

Some holders frame their approach as a long-term plan. One user, TheXFactor33, said he has held XRP for over eight years and has weathered multiple crashes.

Van Code has said he mentally removed the money from his balance sheet and intends not to sell even if prices head far higher. He told followers his aim is to convert the stake into something concrete for his family, such as buying a home for his children.

Views on how high XRP could go differ widely. Some analysts project a bullish scenario that sees XRP at $1,000 by 2040, a forecast that would require years of patience — roughly a 15-year hold from today’s levels under $3 — and a lot of market resilience.

Meanwhile, a good number of investors say they would cash gains early to pay for cars, houses, or other goals, making multiyear holds rare.

Surviving repeated crashes and strong rallies takes more than luck; it takes steady nerves and a plan.

Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView