Quote Of The Day By Stevie Nicks: 'We Have To Walk In With A Big Attitude ...'

Stevie Nicks is the talented singer-songwriter who, with her then partner Lindsay Buckingham, utterly overhauled the sound of Fleetwood Mac. When the pair joined the band on New Year's Eve 1974, they helped transform them from respected blues rockers into a chart-dominating soft rock behemoth. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 26, 1948, Nicks was raised in Atherton, California, where she and schoolfriend Buckingham began making music together. Eventually forming the duo Buckingham Nicks, they had some minor success, including the release of a self-titled debut album, before joining Fleetwood Mac together.

Nicks' impact on the band was instantaneous, with her songs such as "Rhiannon" proving to be highlights of the self-titled album they released in 1975. But her influence continued to grow on the band's classic LP "Rumours," released in 1977, which cemented her reputation as one of the greatest songwriters of her generation. Since then, Nicks has emerged as one of rock's leading elder female role models. Her journey from obscurity to rock goddess came during a time when women's contributions to rock music were generally sidelined, and it has earned her a huge amount of respect from younger artists. Revisiting her long and successful career in interviews, Nicks is full of pearls of wisdom on how she managed to earn respect in the industry — which is why she's today's quote of the day.

"So when we walk into the room, we have to walk in with a big attitude. Which does not mean a snotty conceited attitude. But it means like we have to float in like goddesses, because that is how we want to be treated."

Our quote of the day from Stevie Nicks came during a wide-ranging interview she gave to NPR back in 2013. At the time, she was busy with several projects, including an upcoming tour with Fleetwood Mac and the release of a documentary she made with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl about Los Angeles' Sound City Studios. Nicks sat down to discuss her life and career with journalist Ann Powers and revisited the early days of her time with Fleetwood Mac.

The quote comes during a discussion of how she and bandmate Christine McVie, who was instrumental in approving Nicks' inclusion into the band, quickly became firm friends during a dinner with the established members of Fleetwood Mac. The two quickly found themselves circulating in social groups with some of the biggest names in the business. Nicks' quote above reflects a strategy that she shared with McVie to ensure they were treated fairly as they attempted to navigate the notoriously sexist music industry of the 1970s.

"Our boys never went anywhere without us," Stevie Nicks added in the same NPR interview. "And we were always invited to the party. But it was because we demanded that from the very beginning. 'Cause you know, you can't just, like, be a wimp and then a year and a half or two years later decide to not be a wimp anymore. Because people will always treat you like a wimp once they have decided that's what you are."

Our quote of the day describes a time when Nicks and her bandmate Christine McVie sought to be taken seriously both within the new lineup and within the wider music scene. Nicks' journey to that point hadn't been straightforward. As part of Buckingham Nicks, she had had to work numerous part-time jobs to support herself and her partner as they attempted to establish themselves. At the same time, she found herself being coerced to appear nude on the cover of their debut album, which she later admitted was a traumatic experience.

However, by the time she was in Fleetwood Mac, she knew exactly how she deserved to be treated and found in McVie a valuable female friend and ally in a male-dominated world. The quote is about knowing your own value and taking up space accordingly, while also explaining how an air of confidence and remaining an enigma can often put you in good stead in social situations.

• "Being able to take care of myself is something that my mom really instilled in me."
• "Personally, I think that sexy is keeping yourself mysterious. I'm really an old-fashioned girl, and I think I'm totally sexy."
• "I totally believe in magic. Because my life I think has been very magic, and magical things have come true for me time after time after time."
• "My generation fought very hard for feminism, and we fought very hard to not be labeled as you had to have a husband or you had to be in a relationship, or you were somehow not a cool chick."
• "I am pretty fearless. You know why? Because I don't handle fear very well; I'm not a good terrified person."
• "I think you live on earth a certain number of times until you finish what it is that you were meant to do here. And then you go on. I don't think I'll be back here. I think I'm done."