Staying on the path of who you are and not trying to be anyone else is the key to anything you're doing.

You have the ability to write melodies and to put lyrics that mean something: to speak about life and what people are going through in their every day ups and downs, the good times and the bad times. Country music has always talked about life, I think; that's what I've always loved about it.

For me, it was always just taking the next opportunity to sing in front of someone and always trying to take those strides forward to find a place to sing, to make a music career. It was small increments, but I always knew that I had to take the next opportunity.

From the time I sang my first solo in church when I was probably 12 years old, I was bitten by the bug. From that point on, I never wanted to do anything else.

Being a father or a mother is not only a great challenge, it is a divine calling. It is an effort requiring consecration.

I just want to be at peace with myself, personally and professionally. I want to lead my life the way I want to without having to worry about what the other person may be thinking. Professionally again, I would like to be able to just do films that I want to without having to explain my reasons to my friends, family and fans.

I have to tell you, my seven-year-old granddaughter said to my daughter, her mother, 'So what's the big deal about Grandma Maddy having been Secretary of State? Only girls are Secretaries of State.' Most of her lifetime, it's true. But at the time it really was a big deal.

I got an apartment for my family so they can move out of this one-room that they were renting out from a family.