Dolly Parton wasn’t just one of the best-selling artists in music history, she was one of its sharpest, funniest, and most quotable voices. Over six decades in the spotlight, she turned interviews and stage banter into a kind of folk wisdom all her own: equal parts sass and heart. As fans around the world remember her following her passing at age 80, we’re looking back at ten quotes that capture exactly why she meant so much to so many.
1. I’m not offended by dumb-blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. I also know I’m not blonde.
Night one of two sold out shows at The Ryman Auditorium on July 31, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
2. If you want to see the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton poses for a portrait session in 1978 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: Harry Langdon/Getty Images
3. There’s a heart beneath the boobs and a brain beneath the wig.
Dolly Parton circa 1981 in New York City.
Photo: Robin Platzer/Images/Getty Images
4. Some of my dreams are so big they would scare you.
Dolly Parton attends Stella Parton's Red Tent Women's Conference 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
5. If you see some without a smile, give them one of yours.
Dolly Parton performing live on stage in New York in August 1978.
Photo: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
6. I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.
Dolly Parton performs at the Weinstein Co. Pre-Oscar Party at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
7. Storms make trees take deeper roots.
Dolly Parton takes a bath in a scene from the film 'Straight Talk', 1992.
Photo: Buena Vista/Getty Images
8. Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
Dolly Parton with a horse during an after party at Studio 54.
Photo: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
9. I’ve never seen a mountain I didn’t think I could climb.
10. I’m very self critical so I’m always trying to improve even though, like I say, I like myself.
Editor
Bianca LoCredit
Lead Image: Michael Putland/Getty Images
