35 Brilliant Pieces of Life Advice, Courtesy of Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton—queen of country music, style icon, and wildly successful businesswoman—is well accustomed to sharing bits and pieces of what she's learned throughout the years since her humble beginnings in Tennessee. She may be known for her older, more classic songs like "Coat of Many Colors," "9 to 5," and "Jolene," but she's still gifting us with brand new music even after decades in the business. (Dolly even recorded and released a brand new song during the coronavirus pandemic!) Of course, music isn't the only field she excels in. Between her many movies, her one-of-a-kind Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and her amazing children's literacy organization (Dolly Parton's Imagination Library), Dolly's star power is totally undeniable.

Thankfully, the 74-year-old is willing to share her secrets, and has spent plenty of time dishing out genius one-liners and words of wisdom. Whether she's doling out warnings about letting "living" get in the way of "life," or making hilarious jokes about the—ahem—artificial parts of her appearance, Dolly always seems to have the perfect piece of wisdom to impart on her many followers and fans. We'd all do well to heed her excellent advice! Here, we've rounded up the Queen of Country's most sage counsel.

“To thine own self be true.”

“Never ignore your roots, your home, or your hair.”

“A loose tongue can lead to broken teeth.”

“Prayer is not a formal affair, it’s more a come-as-you-are.”

"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."

“Anyone who says you can’t take it with you has never seen me pack.”

“You don’t have to look like everybody else. You don’t have to be a raving beauty to be special and to be beautiful.”

“People say how you stay looking so young? I say, well, good lighting, good doctors, and good makeup."

“I always count my blessings more than I count my money. I don’t work for money, never did.”

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

“Everybody’s life is a soap opera. Everybody’s life is a country western song, depends on who’s writing it."

“If I can hold God's attention, I can hold the world's.”

“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.”

"A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond.”

"Dreams are of no value if they're not equipped with wings!"

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

“The magic is inside you, there ain’t no crystal ball."

"My songs are like my children—I expect them to support me when I'm old."

"When I got somethin' to say, I'll say it."

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain!"

“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap”

"Being a star just means that you just find your own special place, and that you shine where you are."

"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'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb—and I'm not blonde either.”

"You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try."

“My weaknesses have always been food and men—in that order.”

“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.”

“Smile—it increases your face value.”

“Sometimes my mouth is a little too big and a little too open and sounds too much like a sailor.”

"I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else."

"Storms make trees take deeper roots."

"Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life."

"Stop this attitude that older people ain't any
good anymore! We're as good as we ever were—if we ever were any good."

"When someone shows me their true colors, I believe them."

"If you see someone without a smile, give them yours."