<p id=”par-1_50″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/dolly-parton/”>Dolly Parton’s</a> sparkling personality is part of her appeal as a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/notable-people/”>celebrity</a>. Fans love her humor, wit, and authenticity. Parton said she didn’t always get such a warm reception, though. When she was growing up in Tennessee, she felt that people didn’t get her. Parton thought people found her off-putting. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-dolly-parton-said-she-never-felt-like-her-personality-fit-her-hometown”>Dolly Parton said she never felt like her personality fit her hometown</h2>
<p id=”par-2_30″>Parton grew up in the Smoky Mountains and felt eager to leave by the time <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/only-reason-dolly-parton-graduated-high-school.html/”>she graduated high school</a>. She admitted she never felt she fit in in her hometown. </p>
<p id=”par-3_47″>“Well, I tell you, it was kinda rough for me because I was the most popular girl in school in the <em>wrong</em> way,” she said, per the book <em><a href=”https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dolly-on-dolly-randy-l-schmidt/1124694764″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Dolly on Dolly</a></em>. “<em>Everybody</em> talked about Dolly, but I didn’t have as many friends as I should have had.”</p>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>I never let a rhinestone go unturned <img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f48e.png” alt=”💎” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /> <a href=”https://t.co/PRqhAfoUj4″>pic.twitter.com/PRqhAfoUj4</a></p>— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1959350337522815324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 23, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-4_10″>She said her looks and personality made her stand out.</p>
<p id=”par-5_51″>“I had a lotta stories told on me, a lotta lies, just because I looked the way I did,” she said, adding, “I always was big in the boobs, small in the waist and big in the butt. I just grew up that way and I had that foxy personality, too.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_26″>Parton said she tried to befriend people and put them at ease, but she believes this backfired. Even being friendly didn’t work out in her favor.</p>
<p id=”par-7_34″>“I mean, I was <em>real</em> outgoin’, real friendly, I think it was scary to people,” she admitted. “But I never felt I belonged. Never belonged in my whole life, even as a little kid.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-dolly-parton-said-her-personality-was-more-accepted-in-nashville”>Dolly Parton said her personality was more accepted in Nashville</h2>
<p id=”par-8_25″>The day after she graduated from high school, Parton packed up her belongings and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/dolly-parton-thought-die-homesickness-moved-nashville.html/”>moved to Nashville</a>. She felt more at home in the city.</p>
<p id=”par-9_41″>“I was just <em>different</em>, and so I never really found my place till I moved to Nashville and got in the music business,” she said. “That was my <em>real</em> place, so I fit in. I was born restless, I really was.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_8″>Her career blossomed after moving to the city.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-said-she-settled-down-a-bit-with-age”>She said she settled down a bit with age</h2>
<p id=”par-11_22″>Though Parton described herself as restless, she grew to crave more time at home. Still, she <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/dolly-parton-once-revealed-secret-lasting-relationship-stay-gone.html/”>couldn’t sit still</a> for too long.</p>
<p id=”par-12_69″>“Now, there is nothin’ I like better than goin’ home to have a few weeks off, do as I please, go in the yard half-naked, without makeup and without havin’ my hair done, or play with the dogs or romp around with the cows,” she said. “But when I am ready to go, there is nothin’ I like better than to pack it up and head it on out.”</p>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Dreams are of no value if they’re not equipped with wings. <img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f98b.png” alt=”🦋” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /> <a href=”https://t.co/Wl1mWen2I1″>pic.twitter.com/Wl1mWen2I1</a></p>— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1953860969291022679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 8, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-13_10″>She can’t imagine herself ever settling down for too long.</p>
<p id=”par-14_42″>“I just couldn’t stay, and in my later years when I am writing books and poems mostly I think I will travel around and do that: I really wouldn’t want to stay at home all the time; that would be a bore.”</p>