I like to do one thing at a time and do it to the best of my ability.
— Carlene Carter
I'm a bubbling brew of emotions, but mostly, I'm an optimistic person.
I like things all shined up and rocking with hooky pop choruses.
There's something unnatural about losing a sibling when they're young.
There are no rules when it comes to songwriting, so I'd turn Carter family songs from the 1930s into pop songs.
I'm pretty much an open book.
I started playing piano when I was 6, ukulele at 7.
I do feel I'm responsible to carrying on the music. That's what I was charged with as a kid. When I was a little girl, I was told, 'When we are gone' - when you're a kid, you never think they'll ever be gone - 'you have to keep the music alive, the Carter Family songs, and add your own songs.'
Lots of girls marry at 16 in Tennessee.
I'm kind of a perfectionist about my songwriting. If I don't mean it, I don't think it's any good.
I have great stories. I am going to write a book.
I love to be surrounded by nature.
I've always been one of those people - once I start something, I have to get it all out, because it gets me.
Sometimes, it's good to stick to your guns.
I've always had wanderlust to try and do different things, but I always return to the music of the Carter family.
If someone gets married at 15, they're either dumb or pregnant. I was both.
I was thinking about it: so many of my stories are about my family life, not about being related to a lot of famous people. That's my grandma, that's my mama, my daddy, my aunt, my uncle, my stepdaddy. I'd probably tell them even if they weren't well known.
I've matured as a writer and human being. I've got some wisdom under my belt.
I moved back to Tennessee in '86 or '87. That's when I worked with the Carter Family because I really wanted to understand my roots.
My Smiths, my Carters, the Cashes - everybody embraced me and held my arms up when I couldn't do it myself.
I'd had three husbands by 23. The second was a songwriter who couldn't handle the fact the little lady was doing better than him.
I don't really have any ditties left in me anymore.
I don't know how I got out of some of the scrapes I was in. But I know that there's some sort of plan.
If someone asked me to do something I didn't want to do or didn't think was right, I wouldn't do it.
My songs are about who I am.
I always wanted to be the rockin'est country chick in the universe.
I'm really about my family and really proud of being a Carter.
There was a period where I was a little scared that I'd blown my chance.
I've had a few ditty hits.
