If there’s one person we can rely on to serve up wisdom quotes on a silver platter with a side of humor and sass, it’s the woman who once said: “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”
Dolly Parton, the one and only queen of country music and prolific philosopher, has never been shy when sharing her thoughts on life, love, success, and music.
These “Dollyisms” — yeah, Dolly Parton’s quotes have their own moniker, courtesy of her fans — are not mere fancy words to be scrolled past on social media feeds. No one better than someone who wrote about 3,000 songs knows how much impact and meaning words can have, and Dolly Parton’s quotes, somehow, always have the right ones.
And let’s not forget, Dolly is the woman who brought us Jolene, a character who has infiltrated popular culture so deeply, she’s practically a household name in her own right. If that isn’t a testament to Dolly’s lyrical genius, we don’t know what is! Her words pack as much of a punch as her songs do. They’re the heart and soul of who she is — genuine, insightful, funny, and always very fabulous!
If you need some comforting and humorous words, turn to our list of inspirational quotes from Dolly Parton, and you’ll find them. It’s not for nothing that her unique charisma has become a league of its own, inspiring countless souls, just as her music has done for decades.
We also included some of her quotes about music — how could we ignore her insights on this, considering what Dolly does for a living? Enjoy the read and don’t forget to upvote your favorites!
#1
“Yes, I support gay marriage. They have every right to be as miserable as straight people.”
#2
“I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department four days to put it out.”
#3
“You’d be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap!”
#4
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
#5
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
#6
“I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are and to love who they love.”
#7
“I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence.”
#8
“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”
#9
“I have pretty good skin considering my age, and I think a lot of it is mineral oil and bacon grease.”
#10
“I wish you joy and happiness. But above all of this, I wish you love.”
#11
“A loose tongue can lead to broken teeth.”
#12
“Sometimes my mouth is a little too big and a little too open and sounds too much like a sailor.”
#13
“Smile, it increases your face value.”
#14
“I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give ’em yours!”
#15
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
#16
“Anyone who says you can’t take it with you has never seen me pack.”
#17
“My weaknesses have always been food and men—in that order.”
#18
“Everybody’s life is a soap opera. Everybody’s life is a country western song, depends on who’s writing it.”
#19
“People feel like they’ve known me so long because I’ve been around a long time. I’m really like an aunt or a cousin or a person you’ve grown up with – like somebody in the family. So I think they feel comfortable with me. I really think that is Southern hospitality.”
#20
“I’m not happy all the time, and I wouldn’t want to be because that would make me a shallow person. But I do try to find the good in everybody.”
#21
When I got somethin’ to say, I’ll say it.”
#22
“Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”
#23
“Now the night I graduated from Sevier County High School, back in 1964, we were all asked to stand up and talk about what we were going to do with the rest of our lives. And everybody had a different story. And when it came my time I stood right up there. I said I’m going to Nashville and I’m going to be a star. Well, the whole place laughed out loud. And I was so embarrassed, ’cause I thought, ‘How odd. Why is everybody laughing? ‘Cause that is what I’m going to do.’ But as bad as I felt at that moment and as embarrassed as I was, it did not shake me from my dreams. So I guess I showed them, huh?”
#24
“People say I look so happy; and I say, ‘That’s the Botox.’”
#25
“When I was with Andy Warhol, I thought, ‘God, his wig looks cheaper than mine!’”
#26
“I don’t often lose my temper, but I often have to use it.”
#27
“I was born with a happy heart. I’m always looking for things to be better.”
#28
“We just gotta do our best day-to-day, be the best person we can, do the best work we can, and just keep on dreamin’.”
#29
“Tell me I have to be somewhere, and I’ll be there 20 minutes early and stay there longer than anybody else. You hold up a lot of people if you’re not on time.”
#30
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
#31
“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.”
#32
“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.”
#33
“Me and God have a great relationship, but we’re both seeing other people.”
#34
“I’m a working girl. I don’t make people bend over backwards, and I don’t like that in people. I am definitely no diva.”
#35
“Now people are always asking me, What do you want people to say about you 100 years from now?’ I always say I want them to say ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age.’”
#36
“I have little feet because nothing grows in the shade.”
#37
“I am a self-made woman, and I have the doctor bills to prove it.”
#38
“My songs are like my children – I expect them to support me when I’m old.”
#39
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
#40
“Every single diet I ever fell off of was because of potatoes and gravy of some sort.”
#41
“I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world.”
#42
“The magic is inside you, there ain’t no crystal ball.”
#43
“I never think of myself as a star. I think of myself as a working woman. And this is the job I love. And I’m grateful that I get to make a good living at what I love to do.”
#44
“I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”
#45
“You always want your people to be proud of what you have accomplished.”
#46
“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb–and I’m not blonde either.”
#47
“Above everything else I’ve done, I’ve always said I’ve had more guts than I’ve got talent.”
#48
“I like all that frilly stuff. Like I’ve always said, it’s a good thing I was a girl, or I’d definitely have been a drag queen! Most definitely.”
#49
“I really wish that y’all could have seen the look on my lawyer’s face 24 years ago when I told him I wanted to start a theme park and call it Dollywood. He thought I’d already taken the train to Crazywood.”
#50
“People say, ‘how you stay looking so young?’ I say, well, good lighting, good doctors, and good makeup.”
#51
“I know how to stand my ground. I know how to speak up. I know how to stand sturdy. But that doesn’t mean I’ve hardened my heart.”
#52
“When I’m older, I’ll be like all those old haggard ladies that write their life stories about all the men they slept with and all… Not that they shouldn’t. But they’re right to wait so long, ’cause if you start too soon tellin’ about who all you slept with, you’re gonna run into a lot of guys that don’t want to take a chance on makin’ your next book.”
#53
“Never ignore your roots, your home, or your hair.”
#54
“I always count my blessings more than I count my money. I don’t work for money, never did.”
#55
“I still believe that women should get paid equal and should be treated with respect. I’m all about that. I don’t get out and have to preach it or march in the streets, I write about it.”
#56
“All you need is a smile and a little sparkle.”
#57
“You don’t even have to believe in anything to be good to people. You should just know you should be a good human being.”
#58
“I’m proud of my hillbilly, white trash background. To me that keeps you humble, that keeps you good. And it doesn’t matter how hard you try to outrun it – if that’s who you are, that’s who you are. It’ll show up once in a while.”
#59
“I do wear high heels in the house – otherwise I can’t reach the cabinets! I don’t wear my heels in the shower or when I sleep–and I wear my little tennis shoes when I do my treadmill – but when I go out, of course, I will. That’s my look and that’s how I’m always gonna be.”
#60
“I’ve always tried to never step on anybody to get where I am. I’ve had to walk around a few people, jump over a few of ‘em now and then, but I think you’re a true success when you’ve seen your dreams come true and you can take pride in how you did it, and take pride in and respect and appreciate the people that helped you get there.”
#61
“I do believe that any successful business starts from the top and works its way down.”
#62
“Being a star just means that you just find your own special place and that you shine where you are.”
#63
“I know who I am, I know what I can and can’t do. I know what I will and won’t do. I know what I’m capable of and I don’t agree to do things that I don’t think I can pull off.”
#64
“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.”
#65
“When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.”
#66
“If you talk bad about country music, it’s like saying bad things about my momma. Them’s fightin’ words.”
#67
“I don’t know what the big deal is about old age. Old people who shine from the inside look 10 to 20 years younger.”
#68
“I say that I’m as old as yesterday, but hopefully as new as tomorrow.”
#69
“I never let a rhinestone go unturned!”
#70
“When I wake up, I expect things to be good. If they’re not, then I try to set about trying to make them as good as I can ’cause I know I’m gonna have to live that day anyway. So why not try to make the most of it if you can?”
#71
“When I talk to a man, I can always tell what he’s thinking by where he’s looking. If he’s looking at my eyes, he’s looking for intelligence. If he’s looking at my mouth, he’s looking for wisdom. If he’s looking anywhere else except my chest, he’s looking for another man.”
#72
“If people want to pass judgment, they’re already sinning. The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say somebody else is committing. I try to love everybody.”
#73
“You don’t have to look like everybody else. You don’t have to be a raving beauty to be special and to be beautiful.”
#74
“Dreams are of no value if they’re not equipped with wings!”
#75
“You know, I look like a woman, but I think like a man. And in this world of business, that has helped me a lot. Because by the time they think that I don’t know what’s goin’ on, I then got the money, and am gone.”
#76
“We can’t just hope for a brighter day, we have to work for a brighter day. Love too often gets buried in a world of hurt and fear. And we have to work to dig it out so we can share it with our family, our friends, and our neighbors.”
#77
“So I say a silent prayer for creatures great and small. Peace on Earth, goodwill to men is the greatest gift of all.”
#78
“We need to believe in something bigger than ourselves, otherwise we just become egomaniacs. If you don’t have something to look forward to and lean on, it’s a hard fall when [bad] things happen.”
#79
“You gotta keep trying to find your niche and trying to fit into whatever slot that’s left for you or to make one of your own.”
#80
“I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable.”
#81
“I’m just a simple country girl.”
#82
“I never felt I belonged. Never belonged in my whole life, even as a little kid. I was just different and so I never really found my place till I moved to Nashville and got in the music business. That was my real place, so I fit in.”
#83
“I’ve had heartaches, headaches, toothaches, earaches, and I’ve had a few pains in the ass, but I’ve survived to tell about it.”
#84
“If I can hold God’s attention, I can hold the world’s.”
#85
“I’m very real where it counts, and that’s inside.”
#86
“The seeds of dreams are often found in books, and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
#87
“They got me busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.”
#88
“You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder. But you got dreams he’ll never take away.”
#89
“You need to really believe in what you’ve got to offer, what your talent is — and if you believe, that gives you strength.”
#90
“Prayer is not a formal affair, it’s more a come-as-you-are.”
#91
“Stop this attitude that older people ain’t any good anymore! We’re as good as we ever were—if we ever were any good.”
#92
“My husband calls me ‘catfish.’ He says I’m all mouth and no brains.”
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