Dolly Parton's Life Lessons: On Marriage, Tattoos, and Knowing Her Worth

In 2020, Dolly Parton opened up to PEOPLE about her marriage, music, and even her tattoos, sharing life lessons along the way. This interview was republished following her death at 80 years old after a "brief battle with cancer" on August 25.

There was a moment in Dolly Parton's career when she understood what her life was worth, because she finally understood what her words, each one shaped by her fabled Smoky Mountains upbringing were worth. At 74, Parton distinctly remembers the day in 1992 she heard Whitney Houston's version of her song "I Will Always Love You" on the radio. "It was a worldwide thing. It was in a movie; it was No. 1. I thought, 'Wow. I wrote that little song.' That's when I felt my worth as a songwriter. I thought, 'This is my gift, and I'm going to do the best I can with it.'"

Her fans from Hollywood to Dollywood have always known her value. Over Parton's six-decade career, which launched with her Grand Ole Opry debut at 13, she has written more than 3,000 songs, sold over 100 million records, and scored 25 No. 1 country hits. While debuting a new Christmas album and book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, she took time to share some of what she's learned along the way.

On Being Underestimated

"I never let people underestimate me," Parton said. "From the beginning, I built my own strength and my own worth by trying to talk confidently. But when I wasn't that sure of things, I tried to be positive and presented myself as, 'Look, I'm not taking anything from anybody. And I'm not going to sleep my way to the top.' I was from the country and not all that educated, but I just knew I had something to offer. And everything that I was, it all turned out in my favor."

On Feminism and Labels

"Some people see me as a feminist icon, but I don't like labels," she said. "I suppose I'm a feminist if it comes to saying I'm glad to be feminine. I think I am strong. The Steel Magnolias-type thing. But I don't have to get out and march in the streets to try to make a point. I don't have to be Jane Fonda. Even though I admire Jane for what she does, that's not how I do it. I just live. And if I'm an example, then that's great. But I don't have to preach it, I don't have to march it. I don't have to carry signs to be it. I just am it."

On Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift

"I'm inspired by Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift," Parton said. "I'm in awe of some of these young, new people that are coming along and doing great. People who are the hottest thing going in my mind, the fact that they even mention me is very humbling. Miley Cyrus, she's my goddaughter. I've known her since she was a baby, but I really have a lot of admiration for her as a comedian, as a singer, as a writer, as an entertainer. Taylor Swift, she's different than Miley. She's always stayed pretty on par with keeping her morals, principles and values in place. But what a great writer, what a great singer, what a smart, savvy marketing genius she is about her own self."

On Comfort in Her Own Skin

"If I'm comfortable in my own skin and clothes, that's all that really matters," she said. "I'm sure at the beginning people didn't get me. They just thought I was tits and hair. But I figured people would eventually see that I had talent. I dress to please myself. And if it pleases somebody else, fine. If it displeases them, fine. But I represent myself. And even though you may not want to dress or look like me, you can take from that to be yourself. And that's sexy."

On Her Tattoos

"I do have some tattoos, that's true. But I'm not a tattoo girl," Parton said. "My tattoos are pretty, they're artful and they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement. I like to make positives out of negatives. Ribbons and bows and butterflies are the things that I have. I was very sick for a while, and I had to wear a feeding tube. It left a little indention in my side, and I didn't like it because I'm so fair that scars turn purple on me. I had a little beehive tattooed over it, a little yellow-and-brown beehive with a tiny little bee on top of the hive."

On Her Creative Process

"I keep track of all my ideas, no matter how big or small," she said. "I try to always be prepared. When you're a songwriter, you write on anything: a Kleenex box, toilet paper, or chewing-gum wrappers. Just get it down so you don't lose it. I've always got little tissues and little pieces of paper, stuff scattered everywhere. I collect them out of the bottom of my purse, and just throw them all in little Ziploc bags. Then I have them typed up."

On Prayer

"Prayer works," Parton said. "If nothing else, it can take you out of your own self. Whether you believe in God or not, you got to believe in a higher power. I pray every day. To me, it's my salvation. It helps me through everything. It gives me a better perspective. I pray about God blessing my work, to bring all the right people in, to take all the wrong people out, to help me. It just opens my own eyes. And you'll find your way if you're looking for it."

Parton's reflections offer a glimpse into the heart and mind of a woman who never stopped believing in herself. Her words resonate with a timeless wisdom a reminder that strength, authenticity, and faith are the foundations of a life well-lived. As the world mourns her loss, her legacy endures through the music she created, the lives she touched, and the lessons she left behind.