Dolly Parton Reveals The Best Advice She’s Ever Received

Universally great advice, even if you’re not Dolly Parton.

The country icon has earned that moniker through decades on pretty much non-stop hard work. Even now as Dolly approaches turning 80 years young next year, she’s just as busy as ever, and between her makeup line Dolly Beauty, her new Broadway show that’s set to debut in Nashville this summer before heading to New York City in 2026, her multiple books, keeping her theme park Dollywood in the spotlight and so many other business ventures, the woman has built an empire.

Even while mourning the loss of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean (who passed earlier this year on March 3rd), Dolly returned to work almost immediately, noting that her faith has sustained her during this extremely difficult time.

Her faith in God has always been at the forefront of everything she does, and she credits that for the success and longevity of her career. Of course, Dolly was born with that “it” factor and destined for greatness, but when asked what the best advice she ever received was during an interview on America Reports this week, Dolly once again explained how staying true to herself, and trusting that everything will work out because of who and what she believes in, has kept her exactly where she needs to be at every turn:

“Well, I think it came from my own mother. She said something about, I don’t know who said it years ago, ‘To thine own self be true.’ Well, there is so much to that statement. It just kind of means, know who you are, know what you can do, be willing to sacrifice. So I really think that that’s kind of stuck with me, and I’m a person of faith too.

And I remember scripture from the Bible, like ‘Through God all things are possible,’ and ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Not to sound like a preacher, but that’s the way I grew up.

And I think if you grab onto those things, and you use that for strength and inspiration, there’s just a lot of stuff that can be done if you really believe that it’s gonna happen and you have faith.”

It’s obvious that she’s followed that advice extremely well throughout her illustrious career, and I think it’s very sound advice that can apply to anyone doing anything. It really is true, and I think it makes all the difference no matter what aspect of life you apply it to.

Of course, that same faith has also helped Dolly through the very difficult time of grieving her husband, and this is the first year she’s had to celebrate their wedding anniversary along, which was just last week on May 30th:

“You know, my faith has helped me through it all, because — because I am a person of faith, even though I lost him on this earthly plane, and I will miss him every day, having to learn new patterns, new habits, but knowing that I will see him again and knowing that he’s in God’s arms now and not mine.

But he’s still in my heart and in my memories. And I treasure all that. And that’s how I get through my work and my faith that’s carried me on through. But I do miss him, yes. We had — our anniversary was the 30th, just two days ago, and we got married down in Ringgold, Georgia.”

Speaking of Dolly Parton, she married Carl Dean on this date in 1966.

Today is her first anniversary without him. Would’ve been their 59th. pic.twitter.com/h5gUx1uGpy

— VintageCountryMusic (@realcountry1953) May 30, 2025

Dolly got emotional as she talked about visiting the church alone, with their original wedding rings in-hand:

“And we would always go down to Ringgold so — in and around our anniversary every year since we were married. And so I went down there the other day on our anniversary. And they put a big plaque up in the yard of that church where we got married. It talks about us getting married there.

And we would always go and have a picnic. So, anyway, that’s where I spent my anniversary, our first — my first — our anniversary without him, the first one. So I thought, well, I have got to go back and just take a picture on that — on the same steps at that same church.

And then I felt like that he — he was there with me. And I put his wedding ring around my little gold chain and wore it. And I wore my little original wedding rings and just stood there. And it was just so — it was just so sweet, and it made me. It was good for me.”

Dolly is such an inspiration, and I can’t get over how impressive it is that she has not slowed down one bit since her life completely changed, while still managing to talk about Carl and honor their once-in-a-lifetime love story.

You can watch the full interview below.

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