Like millions of people across the world I’ve been a big fan of Dolly Parton for many years.
Not just for her great songs like Jolene, Islands in the Stream and Here You Come again.
But just as much for her often talked about kindness, positive spirit and her Imagination Library that mails free books to 3 million children each month to help them fall in love with books and to learn reading.
So today’s post is a small tribute to Dolly and a collection of her best quotes.
Inspirational Dolly Parton Quotes
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
“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.”
“I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give ’em yours!”
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”
“If you’re feeling low, don’t despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning.”
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
“I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence.”
“When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.”
“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?”
“The magic is inside you, there ain’t no crystal ball.”
“I never had a doubt I would make it, because refusing to think I couldn’t make it is the reason I could.”
“Dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.”
“It’s so important to instill in children to have faith and to know there are great things out there. Greatness is out there, greatness you can tap into. But it has to start from in your heart.”
“I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love.”
“I was born with a happy heart. I’m always looking for things to be better.”
Funny Dolly Parton Quotes
“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.”
“You’d be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap!”
“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.”
“I am a self-made woman, and I have the doctor bills to prove it.”
“My weaknesses have always been food and men – in that order.”
“I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department four days to put it out.”
“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.”
“After Momma gave birth to twelve of us kids, we put her up on a pedestal. It was mostly to keep Daddy away from her.”
“Every single diet I ever fell off of was because of potatoes and gravy of some sort.”
“I have pretty good skin considering my age, and I think a lot of it is mineral oil and bacon grease.”
“I have little feet because nothing grows in the shade.”
“Me and God have a great relationship, but we’re both seeing other people.”
“I do wear wigs. I sometimes make the joke about me standing on a hilltop with my hair blowing in the wind – and me too proud to run after it.”
“Anyone who says you can’t take it with you has never seen me pack.”
“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.”
“People say, ‘How you stay looking so young?’ I say, well, good lighting, good doctors, and good makeup.”
“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.’”
“A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond.”
“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.”
Famous Dolly Parton Quotes on Success and Life
“Being a star just means that you just find your own special place, and that you shine where you are.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I always knew I was somebody. I dreamed big dreams and I got out early.”
“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 things happen.”
“Above everything else I’ve done, I’ve always said I’ve had more guts than I’ve got talent.”
“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.”
“I never tried quitting, and I never quit trying.”
“I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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’.”
“I refuse to settle for something less than great. And if it takes a lifetime, then that’s how long I’ll wait.”
“I always had something inside me that believed I had something important to do. I didn’t know exactly what that was.”
Short Quotes by Dolly Parton
“Wildflowers don’t care where they grow.”
“Smile – it increases your face value.”
“A peacock that rests on his feathers is just another turkey.”
“It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.”
“I’m the little engine that did.”
“A great smile is a wonderful asset, but a good heart is pure gold.”
“If I can hold God’s attention, I can hold the world’s.”
“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.”
“Don’t judge me by the cover, ’cause I’m a real good book.”
“Is forever longer than always?”
“I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable.”
“I never let a rhinestone go unturned!”
“Nothing’s ever easy. If it is, it ain’t worth it.”
“I’m just a simple country girl.”
“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.”
“A positive attitude and a sense of humor go together like biscuits and gravy.”
“When I sit back in my rocking chair someday, I want to be able to say I’ve done it all.”
Want more inspiration? Then have a look at Anaïs Nin’s Top 5 Words of Wisdom and also Eleanor Roosevelt’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Making Life a Wonderful Adventure.