I've never thought about songwriting as a weapon. I've only thought about it as a way to help me get through love and loss and sadness and loneliness and growing up.

If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. You are the best thing that's ever been mine.

I like the way the stories of my relationships sound to music more than the way they look in print, in gossip columns or in me talking about them in interviews. I think it's a better way of telling the stories.

I am an over-achiever, and I want to be known for the good things in my life.

In recent years, you've probably read the articles about major recording artists who have decided to practically give their music away, for this promotion or that exclusive deal. My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet...is that they all realize their worth and ask for it.

I don't compare myself to anyone else; I don't make comments about anyone else because they do what feels right for them, and that's okay by me.