Why We All Loved Dolly

There isn’t much that all Americans can agree on these days. We fight over religion, politics, science, healthcare, and anything and everything else. However, one woman had almost universal love and admiration. In a rare moment of unity, we can all agree that we loved Dolly!

Coming from humble beginnings, Dolly began her career by writing her first song at the age of 6. She went on to perform on television at 10 and recorded her first album at the age of eleven. She was a songwriter, penning more than 3,000 songs, including big hits such as “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and “ 9 to 5.” In addition to being a songwriter, Dolly was a singer, businesswoman, actress, humanitarian, and philanthropist. In her 60-year career, she sold over 100 million albums and received numerous awards. Her professional success in all these areas is indisputable.

However, it’s not her success that made us all love her. It was her sincere love of people, her acceptance of people of all races, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, and abilities that made her special. It was the way she dealt with difficult issues with humor and common sense that led us to admire her. She was self-deprecating about her appearance, joking that “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.”

Dolly Parton used her success and money to do good deeds in the world. Dolly’s philanthropic legacy included donations to childhood literacy, medical research, and helping people in need in her home state of Tennessee. In 1995, Dolly Parton began the Imagination Library in her home state of Tennessee. The program eventually spread throughout the United States and internationally. It provides books in the homes of children from birth through age five, regardless of family income. Books are sent directly to the child’s home. Dolly Parton was a fierce advocate for children’s literacy, stating that, “If you can read, you can self-educate yourself, and you’re just lost if you can’t. I just think it’s important for children to learn to read in the early years, to learn to love books and all that.”

Dolly was a light that shone in an often dark world. There will never be another Dolly, but how lucky were we to be the recipients of her talent and kindness. When my daughters were in their early 20s, we attended a Dolly Parton concert together and enjoyed every minute of it. Dolly was the rare artist who appealed to all generations. She was small in stature, barely five feet, but the legacy she leaves behind is enormous. She crossed all divisions to bring the world together in this moment of mourning her passing. Thanks for everything, Dolly!

Some of Dolly’s best quotes –

• “Storms make trees take deeper roots.”
• “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
• “Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”
• “If you see someone without a smile today, give ’em yours.”
• “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
• “I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence.”
• “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
• “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
• “When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.”
• “You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.”
• “Every single diet I ever fell off of was because of potatoes and gravy of some sort.”
• “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.”
• “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.”
• “People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.”
• “I am a self-made woman, and I have the doctor bills to prove it.”
• “My songs are like my children—I expect them to support me when I’m old.”
• “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’ve had heartaches, headaches, toothaches, earaches, and I’ve had a few pains in the ass, but I’ve survived to tell about it.”
• “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?”
• “You can wish your life away. But if you’re going to dream, you’re going to have to get out and, like I always say, you have to put some wings on them dreams, and some feet and fingers and some hands. They gotta get into some stuff. You can’t just sit around and think of all the things you want to do. You’ve got to think of what you want to do, and then you’ve got to get out and make that happen.”
• “I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”
• “People say, ‘How you stay looking so young?’ I say, well, good lighting, good doctors, and good makeup.”
• “I’m not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. I also know that I’m not a blonde.”
• “You’d be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap!”
• “It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.”
• “I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love.”
• “A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond.”