Welcome to our collection of inspirational quotes by the iconic Dolly Parton. An American treasure, Dolly Parton is much more than just a country music legend she’s a cultural icon known for her wit, wisdom, and unapologetic authenticity. With a career spanning decades, Dolly has not only captured hearts with her music but also with her empowering words that resonate with people from all walks of life.
Dolly Parton’s quotes are like a breath of fresh air, filled with humor, resilience, and profound insights into the human experience. Whether she’s offering advice on chasing dreams, embracing individuality, or finding strength in tough times, her words have a timeless quality that continues to inspire generations. In this compilation, we’ve gathered some of her most memorable quotes that will uplift, motivate, and remind you to always stay true to yourself. So, dive in, let Dolly’s wisdom spark your imagination, and feel free to use these quotes to add a touch of her spirit to your day.
‘9 to 5 the Musical’ is perfect for anyone that’s ever wanted to string up their boss, which is almost all of us. Dolly Parton
I do have a few little tattoos, but they were mostly done to cover scars because I’m so fair. Dolly Parton
When I’m inspired, I get excited because I can’t wait to see what I’ll come up with next. Dolly Parton
George Jones was my all-time favorite singer and one of my favorite people in the world. Dolly Parton
I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else. Dolly Parton
It’s a good thing I was born a girl, otherwise I’d be a drag queen. Dolly Parton
I look just like the girls next door… if you happen to live next door to an amusement park. Dolly Parton
Someone once asked me, ‘How long does it take to do your hair.’ I said, ‘I don’t know, I’m never there.’ Dolly Parton
I thank God for my failures. Maybe not at the time but after some reflection. I never feel like a failure just because something I tried has failed. Dolly Parton
I’ll never graduate from collagen. Dolly Parton
I wanted to write a book that talked about the emotions of children, which is the rainbow. We all have moods. We talk about being blue when we’re sad, and being yellow when we’re cowards, and when we’re mad, we’re red. Dolly Parton
I’m no natural beauty. If I’m gonna have any looks at all, I’m gonna have to create them. Dolly Parton
I look at myself like a show dog. I’ve got to keep her clipped and trimmed and in good shape. Dolly Parton
I wear wigs all the time on shows, and every day when I’m in public, at Dollywood. People say, ‘How many wigs do you have?’ And I say, ‘Well, at least 365 because I wear at least one a day.’ Dolly Parton
Nobody can ever make enough money for as many poor relatives as I’ve got. Somebody’s got a sick kid, or somebody needs an operation, somebody ain’t got this, somebody ain’t got that. Or to give the kids all a car when they graduate. Dolly Parton
I walk tall; I got a tall attitude. Dolly Parton
I’m an energy vampire. I just suck off everybody’s energy. But I give it back. Dolly Parton
Energy begets energy. Dolly Parton
I feel that sin and evil are the negative part of you, and I think it’s like a battery: you’ve got to have the negative and the positive in order to be a complete person. Dolly Parton
God and I have a great relationship, but we both see other people. Dolly Parton
My husband calls me ‘catfish.’ He says I’m all mouth and no brains. Dolly Parton
Depression runs in my family on both sides, and I have to be wary. Dolly Parton
After momma gave birth to 12 of us kids, we put her up on a pedestal. It was mostly to keep Daddy away from her. Dolly Parton
I think country music is popular – has been popular and will always be popular because I think a lot of real people singing about a lot of real stuff about real people. And it’s simple enough for people to understand it. And we kind of roll with the punches. Dolly Parton
I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in my early years, we had to grow and raise all of our food, even our animals. And I remember in my early life, we didn’t even have electricity. So it was very, very hard times then. Dolly Parton
If I hadn’t been a woman, I’d be a drag queen for sure. I like all that flair and I’d be dressing up in them high heels and putting on the big hair. I’d be like Ru Paul. Dolly Parton
My mama never wore a pair of pants when I was growing up, and now that’s all she wears. It was so funny for me when I first started seeing Mama wear pants. It was like it wasn’t Mama. Now I’ve bought her many a pantsuit because she just lives in them. Dolly Parton
Oh, I can spot a phoney a mile away. Dolly Parton
That little Miley Cyrus… she’s like a little Elvis. The kids love her because she’s Hannah Montana, but what people don’t realize about her is she is such a fantastic singer and songwriter. She writes songs like she’s 40 years old! Dolly Parton
God knows when the end of time will come, not some fanatic… The world will end someday, but the end of the world and the end of time are two different things. Dolly Parton
I always ask God to work through me and let me be a light of some kind and help in this world, so I always pray for that, and I always want to do good. Dolly Parton
I ain’t never far away from a pencil and paper or a tape recorder. Dolly Parton
I’ll bring my grits when I travel, because I get so hungry on the road. Dolly Parton
It took me years to eat a lot of shellfish. I was probably 20 years old before I had even seen a shrimp cocktail. I like oysters, but fried. Dolly Parton
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? Some days, they pan out a little better than others, but you still gotta always just try. Dolly Parton
People are always asking me in interviews, ‘What do you think of foreign affairs?’ I just say, ‘I’ve had a few.’ Dolly Parton
I don’t like to give advice. I like to give people information because everyone’s life is different, and everyone’s journey is different. Dolly Parton
I was born with a happy heart, and I try to keep a good attitude. It’s not true that I’m happy all the time because nobody is, and we all go through our things. Dolly Parton
I don’t kiss nobody’s butt. Dolly Parton
First thing I do in the morning, after I have my breakfast and do my spiritual work, is put on my makeup and fix my hair, and I can do my makeup in 15 minutes. Dolly Parton
I just kind of wake up with a new idea and new dreams every day, and I follow that dream, as they say. Dolly Parton
When I got somethin’ to say, I’ll say it. Dolly Parton
I’ve never been pregnant, so I just feel God didn’t mean for me to have kids so that everybody else’s children could be mine. Dolly Parton
A lot of people have said I’d have probably done better in my career if I hadn’t looked so cheap and gaudy. But I dress to be comfortable for me, and you shouldn’t be blamed because you want to look pretty. Dolly Parton
Being brought up very religious, I have a fear of people that look to idol gods. Dolly Parton
My weaknesses have always been food and men – in that order. Dolly Parton
Everybody has a purpose. Dolly Parton
My husband says I look like a Q-tip. Dolly Parton
I hated school. Even to this day, when I see a school bus it’s just depressing to me. The poor little kids. Dolly Parton
I love to flirt, and I’ve never met a man I didn’t like. Dolly Parton
People just overshoot trying to find God. They’re going outside and trying everything. They don’t realize that it’s right inside themselves. Dolly Parton
I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department four days to put it out. Dolly Parton
Never leave a rhinestone unturned. Dolly Parton
Living in America and, of course, just being women in general, we’ve got more strength than we think we do. Dolly Parton
It costs a lot of money to look this cheap. Dolly Parton
My mother was always fascinated with the fact that I could rhyme so much stuff. Dolly Parton
I have had some cosmetic surgery, especially after I lost weight and stuff, and I’ve had my breasts lifted – but not injected. That would scare me to death, anyway. Dolly Parton
Above everything else I’ve done, I’ve always said I’ve had more guts than I’ve got talent. Dolly Parton
Adjusting to the passage of time, I think, is a key to success and to life: just being able to roll with the punches. Dolly Parton
Thanks to Botox and fillers, as well as the work that I’ve already had, my face pretty much maintains itself. Dolly Parton
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. Dolly Parton
I try to see the good in everybody, and I don’t care who people are as long as they’re themselves, whatever that is. Dolly Parton
My philosophy is simple: It’s a down-home, common, horse-sense approach to things. Dolly Parton
I am not gay, but if I were, I would be the first one running out of the closet. Dolly Parton
I would honestly say that with all the awards and all the other things that I’ve done in my life, Dollywood is one of the greatest dreams that I’ve ever had come true – I am so proud of that I can’t even begin to tell you, Dollywood is real special to me. Dolly Parton
No matter what, I always make it home for Christmas. I love to go to my Tennessee Mountain Home and invite all of my nieces and nephews and their spouses and kids and do what we all like to do – eat, laugh, trade presents and just enjoy each other… and sometimes I even dress up like Santa Claus! Dolly Parton
You’d be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap! Dolly Parton
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. Dolly Parton
I’ve always loved the fans in Scotland and have a little Scottish blood of my own. Dolly Parton
I’m not a politician. And I don’t want to be. Dolly Parton
I don’t think I’m supposed to boss other people around just because I’m a so-called celebrity or star. I hate that when people act that way. No one deserves it. I’ve seen it happen. I don’t call those people out – they know who they are. Some enjoy that reputation. Dolly Parton
I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde. Dolly Parton
I’d love to do a duet, always wanted to work with Madonna, but she never asked. Dolly Parton
I just don’t have time to get old! Dolly Parton
You can be rich in spirit, kindness, love and all those things that you can’t put a dollar sign on. Dolly Parton
I want to go and go, and then drop dead in the middle of something I’m loving to do. And if that doesn’t happen, if I wind up sitting in a wheelchair, at least I’ll have my high heels on. Dolly Parton
Songwriting is my way of channeling my feelings and my thoughts. Not just mine, but the things I see, the people I care about. My head would explode if I didn’t get some of that stuff out. Dolly Parton
I look like a woman, but I think like a man. Dolly Parton
For some reason, I have better luck when I work with women. I guess I have a good sense of sisterhood. Dolly Parton
Being a star just means that you just find your own special place, and that you shine where you are. To me, that’s what being a star means. Dolly Parton
I love traveling all over the world; but it’s true: there’s nothing like home. Dolly Parton
‘Jolene’ has been very popular all of these years, even overseas. Dolly Parton
If you talk bad about country music, it’s like saying bad things about my momma. Them’s fightin’ words. Dolly Parton
Actually, I hear a lot of rock music. My husband is a big rock fan. Dolly Parton
The secret to a long marriage is to stay gone. Dolly Parton
People make jokes about my bosoms, why don’t they look underneath the breasts at the heart? It’s obvious I’ve got big ones and if people want to assume they’re not mine, then let them. Dolly Parton
If I see something sagging, bagging or dragging I’ll get it nipped, tucked or sucked. Dolly Parton
There’s nothing like white trash at the White House. Dolly Parton
People say I look so happy – and I say, ‘That’s the Botox.’ Dolly Parton
I’m comfortable in my own skin, no matter how far it’s stretched. Ha ha. Dolly Parton
My songs are like my children – I expect them to support me when I’m old. Dolly Parton
I think that I’m perfect. Dolly Parton
We’re all just a bunch of sinners, but we do the best we can. Dolly Parton
A lot of dreams can turn to nightmares… if you don’t really work them. Dolly Parton
I’ve used my femininity and my sexuality as a weapon and a tool… but that’s just natural. Dolly Parton
A gypsy told me I was going to do great things. I was going to make all kinds of money. Dolly Parton
I’m working on my life story. I’m not decided if it’s going to be a musical or a movie with music in it. Dolly Parton
Kitty Wells was the first and only Queen of Country Music, no matter what they call the rest of us. She was a great inspiration to me as well as every other female singer in the country music business. In addition to being a wonderful asset to country music, she was a wonderful woman. Dolly Parton
I love being busy. Dolly Parton
I often joke that 100 years from now I hope people are saying, ‘Dang, she looks good for her age!’ Dolly Parton