Dolly Parton

Everywhere I go, the kids call me 'the book lady.' The older I get, the more appreciative I seem to be of the 'book lady' title. It makes me feel more like a legitimate person, not just a singer or an entertainer. But it makes me feel like I've done something good with my life and with my success.

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.

Time marches on and sooner or later you realize it is marching across your face.

Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.

I count my blessings far more than I count my money.

My philosophy is simple: It's a down-home, common, horse-sense approach to things.

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.

No one could have been nicer, classier nor better looking than Dick Clark. I've had a crush on him since I was a teenager.

When I'm home, I spend Sunday with my husband. If we're not cooking, we travel around in our camper, stop at fast-food restaurants, and picnic. We love that stuff that will harden your arteries in a hurry.

A lot of people don't realise I came out of the Smoky Mountains with a load of songs.

I still have my first paycheck. It was just, I think, a dollar or two that I got when I started as a songwriter with BMI, and I had some songs there that I had through the company, and in the mail I got this big old check for, like, a dollar and a half or something. Somebody had recorded one of my songs.

There's been a lot of talk about Jack White wanting to work with me, and I've always admired him, and of course, he lives in Nashville, too.

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.

I love to flirt, and I've never met a man I didn't like.

I wear make-up, and it gets a little bit thicker every year.

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.

I'd love to do a duet, always wanted to work with Madonna, but she never asked.

A lot of my heartbreak songs are inspired by things my sisters are going through, or friends.

Funny thing is that the poorer people are, the more generous they seem to be.

I love traveling all over the world; but it's true: there's nothing like home.

I'm an energy vampire. I just suck off everybody's energy. But I give it back.