Dolly Parton was many things in her long career: a trailblazing songwriter, a singer with an unforgettable voice, a pop-culture presence par excellence, and more. But she was also one of the most quotable people of her era, and a damn good interview subject. Practically every time Dolly spoke into a microphone, she said something hilarious, surprising, or wise — often all three at once.
As the world continues to mourn her after the news of her death at age 80, here are 25 of Dolly Parton’s greatest quotes on life, music, fame, God, and more.
“I’m very real where it counts, and that’s inside.” via Barbara Walters
“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap!” via Twitter (and countless other places)
“I don’t like to be like everybody else. I’ve often made the statement that I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable. That’s the easiest thing in the world to do.” via Barbara Walters
Q: What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
A: “The fact that sometimes my mouth is a little too big and a little too open and sounds too much like a sailor.” via Vanity Fair
“I grew up one of 12 siblings; I was surrounded by men. Every man I see, I see a man in my family. If he says something, I’ll say, “Don’t shit me, I know who you are.” Via Playgirl
“[If you called me a hillbilly] it would’ve been something very natural, but I would have probably kicked your shins or something.” via Barbara Walters
“I wanted more than to just be a farmer’s daughter, even though I’m proud to be [one]. I just wanted pretty things. I wanted money to buy the things I had always been impressed with as a child. I wanted, I guess, to be a star.” via Barbara Walters
“I always count my blessings, more than I count my money. I don’t work for money, never did. It was the art, it was the job. I loved the work. And I’ve done well, and I’m thankful for it.” via CBS News
“Since I had no kids and my husband was pretty independent, I had freedom. So I think a big part of my success is the fact that I was free to work. And I didn’t have children, because I believe that God didn’t mean for me to have kids, so everybody’s kids could be mine, so I could do things like the Imagination Library.” via Oprah
“My dream was always to make as many people happy as I could in this life.” via Barbara Walters
“And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!” via Billboard
“I look so totally artificial, but I’ve always been the simplest person in the world.” via Rolling Stone
“I look totally artificial, but I am totally real, as a writer, as a professional, as a human being. A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond.” via Elle
“Why should I work for hundreds and thousands when I can work for hundreds of thousands?” via Playboy
“I joke with God. He don’t ever say nothin’ back.” via Playboy
Q: What are your favorite names?
A: “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.” via Vanity Fair
“Now I usually try not to give advice. Information, yes, advice, no. But, what has worked for me may not work for you. Well, take for instance what has worked for me. Wigs. Tight clothes. Push-up bras.” via her University of Tennessee 2009 commencement address, per NPR
“They say love isn’t about two people gazing into each other’s eyes, it is about two people gazing outwards in the same direction. I believe this with all my heart.” via her memoir My Life and Other Unfinished Business
“I’m tryin’ to do everything I’m capable of doin’ and have a perfect balance in my life — to be successful at my work, and at bein’ a wife and a sister and a friend. I have to have all of those things in their proper place. I don’t want to be a star if I have no life.” via Rolling Stone
“I have to write and sing. See, that was my first love, and I have to do that forever, however I have to do it.” via Rolling Stone
“When I get bored with what I’m doing now, I’ll try something else. Movies might be as boring as anything else.” via The Tonight Show
“I’ll be glad to be 51, so I won’t ever have to be 50 again, because everyone made such a big to-do. I don’t feel any different than I ever did.” via Tom Snyder
“I ain’t never gonna be old because I ain’t got time to be old. I can’t stop long enough to grow old. I’m just gonna be the best I can be at whatever age I am.” via Oprah
During an interview, Parton was asked, “Biggest mistake?” She quipped: “I haven’t made any. I try to look at my life as a series of events, and what other people would call ‘a mistake,’ I wouldn’t. Sometimes, what would look like to be my biggest mistakes turn out to be my biggest blessings. I’m not one of those people that I don’t regret things. I don’t go back because I’ve never done anything that I didn’t feel I should have done exactly that way at exactly that time. So how can you say that it’s a mistake?”
“When I’m done, I can rest in peace knowing I’ve done my best. I hope that when my time comes, I’ll leave something behind that others can use to lift themselves up.” via her memoir Star of the Show.
