I do appreciate every single dollar I earn.

I feel like I’ve started to grow up and be more of a woman instead of this crazy girl.

I feel like I am one of those artists that, thank god, can sing live.

I love cover songs, but I always mess up the words!

I hope my music sets up the platform for me to be able to do lots of things – to have a cowboy-boot line, maybe, or do a perfume or makeup deal.

It’s OK to have a little bit of curve.

My parents live right down the street from the house I grew up in.

Junk food drags you down.

I kicked the door open, and I’m gonna hold my leg in there. I’m keeping the door open for all these amazing female singer-songwriters that are coming out.

I can reach the mass audience if I come from different perspectives on every song.

After trying Atkins and doing Nutrisystem a few times, now I’m just focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle rather than dieting.

I got my first handgun license when I was 22.

I started writing songs at 17.

I think it’s awesome to see people of all different ages from all kinds of backgrounds come together for the love of music.

Marriage is gonna be your stability through everything.

One year, I was nominated for entertainer of the year, and I didn’t think I deserved it.

I don’t mind having a big butt – they’re back in style. But I do a lot of squats to make sure my booty’s not dragging on the ground.

My family is awesome.

At the very beginning of my career I felt very strongly about what type of artist I wanted to be.

My mom was always saying: ‘Be whatever you want to be, but stick with it. Don’t waver. Don’t change who you are for anybody.’

I have seven rescue dogs.

I sucked in school.

I was always suspicious and looking over my shoulder because that’s how I was raised.

My weight always fluctuates by 10 pounds.

People naturally change a lot during their 20s, so my songs reflect that progression.

Heartbreak is good fuel for country songs. And cheating.

Country music has always sort of been country music.

Crunches only go so deep.

I wouldn’t want to bring a kid into this crazy world right now.

I just am who I am.

I think I don’t have as much to prove now.

I really love jeans.

Onstage, I don’t want to be thinking about my outfit, I want to think about what I’m doing, so I’ll try to dress as comfortably as possible.

The bigger you get, the more pressure you have to deal with.

I like to say what I think, and if it happens to push buttons, sorry.

I am incredibly thankful for the strong support I have from my peers in the industry and of course my amazing fans.

For each album, I let the music that I love at that point in my life be my guide.

Long intros are cool because there’s a little bit of anticipation, you know?

I really feel every word to every song a lot more than I have in the past.

I would love to have a song that I wrote by myself to win a ‘Song of the Year’ award.

I try not to get too ahead of myself. I try to be happy where I am.

Yeah, I try to be the best example I can be for young girls just as far as my person goes – just to uphold a good image.

Usually, I cut songs by other people that are artists that I already love.

If you don’t stand for something, how can anyone respect what you do?

My mom always says I cut my teeth on the church pew.

I definitely don’t ever want to burn out at my job.