Whoa! Well thank you so much and hello UT. And I want to say congratulations to every
single one of you that graduated today. I was listening to your names. I've been back there waiting for you to finish
so I could start up. Anyway, I know this is a big, big day for
you. And I never dreamed -- ever, ever, ever dreamed
-- that I would be a commencement speaker. Now singing, yes I can do that. No problem. But making speeches, I'm a little nervous. Seriously nervous, because I know that I am
supposed to say something meaningful to you. Maybe some good advice for you to always remember. Now I usually try not to give advice, information
yes, advice no. Because what has worked for me may not work
for you. Well take for instance what has worked for
me? Wigs, tight clothes, push-up bras, high-heeled
shoes, five-inch high-heeled shoes. All I gotta say take my advice. Some of you boys out there may find yourself
on a little different career path then you might have planned. And you girls better be careful too. Seriously, I wanted to tell you that the way
I look actually is a country girl's idea of glamour. It came from a very serious place. There was a what they call the town trollop
in our town up in Sevierville. Well I thought she was the prettiest thing
I've ever seen when I was a little girl. And every chance I had to go to town, I'd
see her and I would just say "oh, she's so pretty." And they'd say "oh, she's just trash." And I thought that's what I'm gonna be when
I grow up. And I know sometimes I look like it, but hopefully
I'm a little more than that. I'd like to believe that there is a brain
beneath all his hair and heart beneath these.... But seriously, this entire moment reminds
me of the first time that I ever got up to sing on stage. Now I was just a kid and I was nervous then
too. And I wasn't quite sure that I was going to
be able to deliver what the audience wanted from me. But I did sing and they did applaud and they
did want more. Only trouble was they wanted an encore and
I had only one song. So, I just started up singing the same song
again. Don't you worry though because I'm not going
to repeat this speech. I don't care how much you like it. But seriously, I remember, you know, all of
that and it was a start for me and of course today is a special day. Remember your parents today because at this
moment, as you well know, they are as proud of you as they will probably ever be and they
love you as much as they probably ever will. They're all emotional. Look at them all teary-eyed. Seems to me like a good time for you to ask
them for a loan. We got the Smart Bank up here. I'm sure they can help you out with that. You know several years ago, I created the
Dollywood foundation. Now I know we wanted to do things to inspire
kids. But like all good organizations, we needed
the right mission to guide us. And in the end, what we came up with was a
pretty simple and straightforward wish for all kids. We wanted them to dream more, learn more,
care more, and be more. Now when I was thinking about what I should
say to you today, well those four simple things just kept coming back to me. So I thought that I would use this as my way
to share my thoughts with you. Now governor Bredesen said a whole bunch of
things I was going to say. But I didn't know what he was going to say,
so I'm going say what I have to say because he was right on the money with a whole lot
of things that he said about me. I'm very grateful for my life, but if I had
but one wish for you, it would be for you to dream more. Now when I was a kid, I used to put a tin
can on a broom handle. I used to stick it down in the crack out on
the porch of our old cabin. And of course, in my mind's eye, I was standing
on stage with my guitar singing my heart out in this microphone. And those were not chickens out there in the
yard, it was my audience. And that was no ragged dress that I was wearing,
it was a dress glittering with rhinestones and it was made of the finest silk -- in my
mind. So, you have to stay true to your heart and
to your dreams. Now the night I graduated from Sevier County
High School back in 1964, we were all asked to stand up and talk about what we were going
to do with the rest of our lives. And everybody had a different story. And when it came my time, I stood right up
there and said "I'm going to Nashville and I'm going to be a star." Well the whole place laughed out loud and
I was so embarrassed because I thought well how odd, why is everybody laughing because
that's what I'm going to do. But as bad as I felt at that moment and as
embarrassed as I was, it did not shake me from my dreams. So, I guess I showed them, huh? And you can do the same! Of course, but you have to be careful. Do not confuse dreams with wishes, there is
a difference. Dreams are where you visualize yourself being
successful at what's important to you to accomplish. Now dreams build convictions because you work
hard to pay the price to make sure that they come true. Wishes are hoping good things will happen
to you, but there's no fire in your gut that causes you to put everything forth, you know,
to overcome all the obstacles. So, you have to dream more and never, ever,
ever, ever blame somebody else if it doesn't happen. That is in your department. Now even -- yeah, it's true -- you'll see
more what I mean as you get out there in the big world, because I still have dreams of
what I want to do next. And of course, I hope that I will never retire. I will never go to seed and as they say, I
would certainly rather wear out then to rust out. And I just hope that I drop dead right on
stage one of these days, doing exactly what I want to do. And I want people to just walk all around
me and say "oh look at her, she's smiling, she looks so happy." But, I hope it don't happen today. That would not be good on your big day. But if it happens, just know I went ahead
because this is what I do love to do. And if I had but one request of you, I ask
that you learn more. Now when I was in school, I only made average
grades. Maybe it was because I dreamed too much about
music and becoming a star. Or maybe I was paying too much attention to
the boys. Or maybe I was just your typical dumb a.... And I know there's a lot of us out there,
but either way it took me a while to realize that the more you learn about everything the
easier it is to do it. So, I thank God that when I was a kid my mother
used to read the Bible to me. And I learned to love reading when I was just
a tiny little thing. I read everything I can get my hands on, because
it is my belief that if you can read, even if you don't get a chance to get an education,
you can learn about everything. And, of course, that was one of the reasons
I wanted to work with the Imagination Library. So, if you learn to read you can learn almost
anything. I also believe that learn more means to keep
working at making your dreams come true. I know that I have truly been blessed, but
I can tell you -- as the governor did -- that I have worked my country butt off to see those
dreams come true. Nobody ever makes it without hard work. Now working hard is not just effort, it's
learning, it's trying new things, and it's about taking chances. I got my first big start in Nashville working
for a man named Porter Wagoner. Now, Porter had... Yeah you know him, he was good to me. We went around and around. He had the best TV show, the most successful
syndicated television show and we were one of the most popular duets ever in country
music. But I wanted to try new things. I wanted write more songs, different music,
and sing and try different things. But Porter didn't want that, and neither did
a whole lot of the so-called conventional wisdom. And I knew that even if I fell flat on my
face, at least I would know that I tried and that I would learn something from all that. I also knew at the time that -- given my size
-- that if I did fall on my face, it would take forever to get me up. So, but that's a different story for a different
crowd. It goes back to that town trollop, don't it? Anyway, the same was true when I started branching
out into pop music and even doing some dance music. And people squawked and they complained and
they swore that I had lost my mind. And I really wish y'all could have seen the
look on my lawyer's face 24 years ago when I told him I wanted to start a theme park
and call it Dollywood. He thought I'd already taken the train to
crazy wood, but I'm sure bunches of you have seen that dream come true for me. And hopefully if you ain't been to Dollywood,
you will get up there. Can you believe it? Twenty-five years next year. We're going to do a big special from up there. Maybe you'll be back home and come up and
see us. But you know, learning is all about taking
chances and -- as the governor said -- rolling up your sleeves and working hard. Now sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But one thing is for sure -- if you never
try, you're never going to win. Now if I have but one favor to ask of you,
it's that you care more. Did you ever notice there's just a whole lot
of people that do things just well enough to get by? But caring is about striving for perfection. It's about how you look. It's about how you prepare and how you keep
your commitments. Now the very first movie that I was ever in
was called 9 to 5 -- as the governor mentioned. That was 30 years ago, when they did the movie. So, I wanted to be prepared. That was new territory for me. I think I overdid it because I memorized the
entire script. I thought it was like a play. I thought I had to know not only my lines,
but everybody else's. When I got there to do the movie, everybody
thought that was the funniest thing they ever heard of. And I was too dumb to be embarrassed. Certainly, after they started missing their
lines on the set and I had the opportunity to say "no it's this, it's this, it's this." So at least I was prepared, and in my business,
I truly love and respect everybody in my audience. I have always been so proud of my relationship
with my fans. And of course it would just kill me to disappoint
them for any reason because they pay my bills. I always think these fans are spending their
hard-earned money on me. So it would just embarrass me and hurt my
feelings -- as well as theirs -- for me to do a mediocre job. So I do my best at all times. Now I hope that you will always care enough
to be on time, to look your best, and always give every task and every job everything that
you possibly have to give. If you truly care for people, you won't judge
them. And then you will learn to appreciate the
uniqueness in every single soul. And if I have but one hope for you, it is
that you be more. Now people are always asking me "what you
want people to say about you a hundred years from now?" I always say I want them to say "hey, don't
she still look good for her age?" But all joking aside, I think people will
remember us for who we were, not how many records we sell or how much money we make. Because I have always said that I've always
counted my blessings far more often than I count my money. And my blessings are many. I have a loving family. I have a great home town. And obviously, I live in the best state in
the USA. Can I get a witness! I also figured out a long, long time ago that
it was not meant for me to have kids so that everybody's children could be mine. And now that's a mighty big family and a mighty
big responsibility. And the Imagination Library came from this
place, from my desire to do something, to inspire the little kids to read and to learn. I just never dreamed that so many other generous
souls like Rotaries, United Way, the State of Tennessee Foundations, you name it, would
invest their hard-earned dollars into this effort. And their kindness has now helped us give
away -- since we started this whole program -- 20 million books. That's saying a lot, governor. We appreciate you for all that, too. The governor and I have made a wonderful team. I love working with him. He's become a buddy of mine and every time
I hear that he's going to be where I am, I get so excited I try on about 15 outfits so
I can look good for you. I'm not joking, it's true. And like Elvis, I comb my hair 52 different
ways thinking the governor's coming. Anyway, but anyhow, we're very, very proud
of all the success of the Imagination Library. And I'm not saying this just to brag -- because
we're all very proud. I'm telling this so you won't make a mistake
and kind of wind up like me going from the cover of Playboy to being called the Book
Lady. That's a pretty far leap don't you think? But I'm proud to be here. You know a loving person is a caring person,
and it's hard to be bigger than that. Of course, I always call that spiritual center
that we all have inside us -- I call that my God core. In a way, it's where heaven and earth kind
of meet. So, you should always listen to that God core
and care for others and then you truly will be something special. Now I know if my husband Karl Dean was here
right now, he would say "haven't you made these people suffer enough?" And I would say, "no, I have not made them
suffer enough and I have not listened to you for 43 years, so why should I start now?" Anyway, I would have to say that Karl is probably
right and it's time I do wrap this up. Actually, my big moment in the sun is just
a few minutes from now, because I gotta march off the stage put on my black robe -- which
they had to kind of tailor make for me because I'm so little -- they're afraid I'd kill myself
on it. I'm not exactly Pat Summitt you know. So anyhow, I'm going to traipse off here in
a minute and get ready for that. Go try to get my little hat on, if I can do
all that, and come back out here and get my honor.
