One Smart Sassy Cookie

Can you imagine if everyone in the world judged everything by how it looked?

The homeless guy you see sitting on the corner, begging for money. He might have actually lost his job and everything he had, and has no where else to go.

The designer-sporting socialite wife -- sure, she looks like she has it all and a bag of chips. But is she in a happy marriage? Did her life turn out exactly like she wanted, or nothing like she wanted at all?

A classic (and my favorite) example: Dolly Parton. I mean, look at the woman. She's well-known for her country songs, mega-watt set of pipes, acting career and ample....uh...bosom (-shivers- I hate that word, ugh), but underneath that superficial-looking exterior is a woman who I look at in utter amazement. She started out in the backwoods of Tennessee (literally, with 11 siblings to boot), and grew up looking like a hooker/Barbie doll to become one of country music's biggest icons. Just look at a few of her quotes below, and tell me that she's just a dumb blonde.

~If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one.
~I had to get rich so I could afford to sing like I was poor again.
~If you want to see the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.
~There's a heart beneath the boobs and a brain beneath the wig.
~After Momma gave birth to twelve of us kids, we put her up on a pedestal. It was mostly to keep Daddy away from her.
~I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know I'm not blonde.
~If I see something saggin', baggin' or dragin', I'm gonna have it nipped, tucked or sucked. (Referring to Plastic Surgery)
~Some of my dreams are so big they would scare you.
~I'll never harden my heart, but I've toughened the muscles around it.
~If there's a heaven, I hope to hell I go!
~It's when you treat people like freaks that you become one yourself.
~I was blessed to have family members who encouraged me to pursue my dreams. Whether it is your parents, or your uncles or your aunts or even the neighbor down the road, it's important that kids have someone who encourages them to chase their rainbow.
~Sometimes you see folks who have a negative view of dreamers - people who sit around all day on their hindquarters and do absolutely nothing. These folks aren't dreamers - they are just lazy. To me, dreaming is just part of being alive, inspired, and curious about the world.
To me, it's about dreaming in the day and in the night. Dreams have always helped me visualize my goals and aspirations. When I was a child, I could see me on stage singing my heart out. I could see what I was wearing and where I was going. I would visit that dream every single day and as I look back, my dreams kept me focused on what I wanted to do and the person I wanted to be.
~I have always been a firm believer in working hard for what is right and for making your own breaks if you want things to change.
~I'm on a seafood diet -- I see food, I eat it.
~I never, ever get involved in politics. With politics you are not allowed to be honest. I don't have time to deal with that. I would rather work with kids.
~[asked about political ambitions] Don't you think we've had enough boobs in the White House?
~On plastic surgery: I'm a proud person. I'm not vain. I look at it like it is. If you've got the money and you're going to be out there, you owe it to people not to look like a dog if you can help it.
~Find out who you are, and do it on purpose.