Small Talk: Swift, Kristofferson, Parton + More

The Boot Rounds up this week's most memorable quotes from country stars.

"I thought about my own personal definition of the word fearless. And to me, fearless isn't not having any fears. It's not that you're not afraid of anything. I think that being fearless is having a lot of fears, but you jump anyway." --Taylor Swift, on deciding to call her new album 'Fearless' (Source: GAC)

"The most important thing is to be doing what I love and that's playing music. Obviously, I want to play the big stadiums just like everybody else does, but that's not gonna be how I validate success. I think success to me is gettin' to do what you love for a livin'." --Randy Houser (Source: Dial-Global)

"The great thing about country music is the great thing about soul music, is that it comes from the heart and the real stuff will always survive." --Kris Kristofferson (Source: San Luis Tribune)

"I will take him on tour with me, but I'm like, 'How do you do that?' How do you do the bus? Who rides where? Band? Crew? Family? What safety devices do you need?' I might grab one of the other singer moms like Sara Evans or Martina McBride and say, 'Help me!'" --Jo Dee Messina on her baby boy, due in December (Source: PEOPLE)

"Democrats are great people. Republicans are great people. It's the extreme right and the extreme lefts that make it really difficult for us all to figure out where we're supposed to be and on what issue. Because as soon as you say, 'I support the troops,' you are automatically a Republican, conservative right-winger. And as soon as you say, 'I disagree with the Iraq war,' now you're an extreme-left idiot." --Toby Keith (Source: interview with The Boot)

"I won't go public with mine because I saw what happened to the Dixie Chicks and I wanna be in this business for a long time." --Dolly Parton on keeping her political views quiet (Source: Parton's recent concert in Louisville)

"If my globes get too warm, I just take my sweater off." --Dolly Parton on global warming

"I've had 'em, but I prefer American men." --Dolly Parton on foreign affairs