One thing is for sure — if you never try, you're never going to win.
Dolly Parton
University of Tennessee Commencement 2009, 2009
Video starts at 11:59 — the moment this quote was spoken
The Story Behind This Quote
Parton shared how she left the security of working with Porter Wagoner, who had the most successful syndicated TV show in country music, because she wanted to try new things — writing different songs, exploring new styles. People told her she'd lost her mind. She branched into pop music and dance music while critics squawked, and her lawyer thought she was crazy when she announced plans to build a theme park called Dollywood. But she knew that even if she fell flat on her face, at least she would have tried and learned something from it. Learning, she told the graduates, is all about taking chances and rolling up your sleeves.