Taylor Swift

Songs for me are like a message in a bottle. You send them out to the world, and maybe the person who you feel that way about will hear about it someday.

I love it when people say things to me in public and want to meet me, because I want to meet them! Early on, my manager told me, 'If you want to sell 500,000 records, then go out there and meet 500,000 people.'

Most of my songs have names of people I've met or are dear to me. There are people who have privacy issues and about people knowing about their private life. But for me, I like to include few special names and few details about them to make the song very special to me.

I'm always afraid of failing. I have to quiet that fear if I'm going to get up in the morning.

I was from a small town, and nobody really expects you to leave, especially before you graduate. That doesn't happen.

I try to prepare for everything beyond the extent of preparation.

I never want to change so much that people can't recognize me.

I often get ideas for songs on the tour bus at odd times. Like at 6am when no one is around, I'd just write.

I like touring extensively because I think the more hours you spend onstage, the more you know who you are onstage.

I have rules for a lot of areas of my life. Love is not going to be one of them.

I had the most magical childhood, running free and going anywhere I wanted to in my head.

I can say I'd honestly rather be happy than have 30 to 40 songs that I've written about these thrilling, exciting, horrible, unhappy times.

At some point, you grow out of being attracted to that flame that burns you over and over and over again.

Anything you put your mind to and add your imagination into can make your life a lot better and a lot more fun.

The drama and the trauma of the relationship you have when you're 16 can mirror the one you have when you're 26. Life repeats itself.

I think I have to trust that you end up with the person you're supposed to end up with, and that everything in between is there to teach you stuff.

I didn't want to just be another girl singer. I wanted there to be something that set me apart.

And if you're horrible to me I'm going to write a song about you and you are not going to like it. That's how I operate.

For me, genres are a way for people to easily categorize music. But it doesn't have to define you. It doesn't have to limit you.

When you hear people making hateful comments, stand up to them. Point out what a waste it is to hate, and you could open their eyes.

I've been careful in love. I've been careless in love. And I've had adventures I wouldn't trade for anything.