If I'm happy with the song and it's a hit song or not, for the rest of my life, I can hang my hat on knowing I did the best I could, and I'll enjoy getting out there and doing it. That's all that really matters for me. The icing on the cake is people actually enjoy it and sing it back to you. That's when you know that you've done something great.

Some artists will tell you that's all they want to do is write their own music, and that's great, but George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, they didn't write everything they recorded, and they've had major, major careers. I think it's all about the best song.

I started putting down my own pen and spending some time searching for the best songs out there possible. It doesn't matter if I wrote them or not.

Back down a country road the girls are always hot and the beer is ice cold.

Anytime you put your name on a ticket with nothing else attached to it, that's the true testament to where you are in your career - how many tickets are sold.

May the simple things be amazing on the journey of your life.

I think if you just look at life in a positive way, positive things will happen.