Quote Of The Day By Dolly Parton: 'Actually, I Want Them To Say I Was A Person Who...'

Born in 1946 in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Dolly Parton grew up in a one-room cabin without running water or electricity. But that home did have a defining feature — a pretend stage on the front porch. As Parton recalled in her book, "Star of the Show: My Life on Stage," that's where she gave her first performance. Her 'microphone' was an upside down tin can balanced on a tobacco stick, wedged into a crack of the porch. Not a bad getup — that tin can bore a passing resemblance to the Neumann M49 microphone, one of many multi-thousand-dollar microphones Parton would use in her lifetime.

But long before the Neumann M49, a cornhusk doll inspired the first song she ever wrote. She joined a church choir around age 6 and appeared on the radio before she was even a teenager. At 13, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut. The day after high school graduation, Parton moved to Nashville to chase her dreams.

What followed was dozens of studio albums, decades of hits, and too many awards to list. By the 1970s, her stardom was well solidified. The Country Music Association named her female vocalist of the year in 1975 and 1976, then entertainer of the year in 1978. The Queen of Country expanded her reign in the 1980s by opening Dollywood and starring in Hollywood movies. She earned a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and is among the country artists in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She even has a brand of syrup that comes in a guitar-shaped bottle with her name on it. But for all her success, one of Parton's proudest accomplishments had nothing to do with music. She's an inspiring model of someone who gave back, and that's why Parton is today's quote of the day.

"Actually, I want them to say I was a person who did care, a person who was ready to give back and make the world a little better than I found it."

At the 2019 National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit, Parton discussed her Imagination Library, a program that distributes free books to kids. She shared, "I'm prouder of this than anything I've done in my whole life." Later in the program, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee asked how she'd like people to think of her. In true Parton fashion, she first responded, "I want them to say, 'Golly, don't she still look good for her age.'" But she followed that joke with today's quote of the day about caring for others and giving back. Her flashy rhinestones and big personality attracted attention, but she wanted her generosity to leave the greatest impression.

When Parton died in August 2026, people celebrated not only her music but also her big heart. It was exactly the kind of legacy she'd hoped to leave. She had given back in so many ways, including creating the Imagination Library. The program mails a free book every month to children from birth until age 5. Regardless of their family's income, all they have to do is sign up. Parton launched the program in her home county as a tribute to her father, who never learned to read. The initiative grew into an international effort that has sent well over 300 million books to kids.

Parton also donated to health causes and disaster relief. She gave $1 million to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to create the Hannah Dennison Butterfly Garden, and another $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research. After devastating wildfires in Tennessee, she set up the My People Fund to support firefighters, recovery efforts, and to send monthly checks to families who lost homes.

And those are just a few of the headline-making contributions. We'll never know all the quieter ways Parton showed care throughout her life. After all, making the world better doesn't always have to mean million-dollar donations. Most of us don't have millions lying around. But that's what makes Parton's quote so powerful. She didn't say we had to change the entire world. She simply wanted to leave it "a little better."

Leaving the world "a little better" than you found it is a bar we can all clear. And if everyone made it "a little better," that'd add up to a world that was a whole lot better. So, don't underestimate the small choices to care that we can make every single day, everything from being kind, donating $5, or giving away a smile.

• "Leave something good in every day."

• "I don't care about what other people are doing. I only care about what I need to be doing."

• "Find out who you are and do it on purpose."

• "Dreams nor wishes come true without a lot of hard work."

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

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

• "When they say 'Less is more,' that's not my motto. Mine is, 'More is more.'"

• "I'm not offended by all of the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb ... and I also know that I'm not blonde."