Natalie Maines Quotations

The short hair fits my personality more. I think maybe, with long hair, it was a role - I was playing dress-up a bit.

Growing up, I thought I was going to be Madonna. I wanted to be a pop star. I wanted to dance and sing.

Music is a personal preference. Everyone's free to connect and like whatever they want.

I hope I don't have a big ego. I try to keep that in check. But I am a prideful person, I will say.

My aunt is a newscaster in Lubbock, Texas, and she got a letter that said, 'Natalie Maines will be shot dead at their show in Dallas, Texas,' with the date of our concert. It was freaky to see that in writing.

I didn't grow up listening to country music. I pretty much grew up rebelling against country music.

Writing for me can be homework. I do get a lot from it in the end. But I hate doing it.

I don't want to put my fate in country music fans; I'm too stubborn.

It's very scary to me that people actually think we should just follow our leaders. If we can't learn from our history, we're nowhere.

I sing all the time. But maybe nobody's hearing it, because I'm singing in my car or in my house or whatever. I don't need the roar of the crowd, and I don't need to hear cheers to feel validated.

To me, I was right from the beginning, because it's my right as an American to speak up and question our president, have my point of view, have my opinion, question what I want to question, and say what I want to say about our government.

I knew I didn't want to make a country record just because that's not really what I would have ever made as a solo artist.

People do look at it as an insult that I say I don't listen to country music, which cracks me up.

I hate thinking about clothes. I hate shopping.

I'm not out looking for a cause. They sort of find me or find my heart. But sure, there's always time for that. My big mouth can talk all the time.

I'm still finding my legs, performance-wise, being up there by myself. I think I have a bit of proving myself ahead of me.

I caught up on a lot of just domestic normal everyday stuff, and grew up a lot, and went to therapy, and did a lot of contemplating and figuring things out. I needed to just strip everything away and figure out who I am and get to know myself, as cheesy as that sounds.

I think something happens to us biologically when we have children where the worry sets in immediately. And I don't think that ever goes away. But you have to fight your instincts to build walls up around your children or to want to shelter and protect them from everything.

I'm a way bigger worrier than I ever was before I had kids. And, you know, the stress and anxiety that can go along with motherhood, I have had to battle that.

I'm liberal on every social aspect, probably. More liberal than people would even believe. But there's still some of that Texas in me, as far as the gun debate. I wish there were no guns; I'm all for gun restrictions. But I'm also of the mind-set, if nothing changes, I'm getting a gun.

I'm still in the Dixie Chicks; we haven't broken up... I love the Dixie Chicks; it's the most fun I've ever had in my life. It was like winning the lottery.

Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.

We finally got on the front row of an awards show,

We never had intentions to become a political band but like it or not we have been placed on a unique political platform in the past months. We feel it would be irresponsible not to make something positive come out of that.

We're doing what we want to do, playing what we want to play, we're looking like we want to look, we're saying what we want to say. In rock that's done a lot, but in country it's not.

Everything felt more personal this time. I go back to songs we've done in the past and there's just more maturity, depth, intelligence on these. They just feel more grown-up.

As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush (news - web sites) because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect.

This album was total therapy. I'm way more at peace now. Writing these songs and saying everything we had to say makes it possible to move on.

They told me that you may not come, but I knew you'd come.

It's a funny song and a funny video about a very serious topic. A lot of women die at the hands of their husbands.

I'm not truly embarrassed that, you know, President Bush is from my state, that's not really what I care about, ... Primetime Thursday.

If I did that, Bush would call me a flip-flopper, ... So I'm sticking to it!

This is our first time back in Europe since the 'incident.

I see life everywhere I look. I get the energy off the water. Hawaii really, when I am there, it feels like how we are supposed to live and how it's supposed to be: slower, just appreciating our surroundings. I love the people there and the aloha, the history. They're really rooted in something.

Even though it's still the United States, I think on many levels they feel separate, especially the true Hawaiians - who are not necessarily thrilled to be a part of the United States. But I just love the whole spirit.

This sounds cheesy but when I would get in discussions with people about religion or spirituality, a lot of people would say, "I believe God is nature, there's God in that tree" - and I would think, What the hell are they on about? But it was about four or five years ago in Hawaii where that all made sense to me and I got it all, and I felt God was in the trees and in the grass and the flowers, and I completely understood.

I hike every day with my dog, after the kids are off to school. I tend to get wrapped up in all the things that need to be done during the day, so I really am strict about setting that time aside for myself and not scheduling anything before eleven, so I can get my hike in.

I did some years of therapy and self-realization, and I just move and think at a slower pace - doesn't make me sound very smart! But really not reacting and doing more listening than talking, and letting people say what they need to say, and then maybe not saying anything at all.

It almost takes people by surprise when I'm not a big talker. Because I'm known as being sort of a loud mouth. I have a lot to say. But I try to be more thoughtful with my comments or reactions, unless it's something witty or hysterical that I just can't keep myself from blurting or tweeting!

I'm not the greatest communicator. I kind of internalize a lot. See, I just said I need to be quiet, but that's not the kind of communication I mean. I mean expressing myself or even standing up for myself. I can sometimes be very passive.

Usually right when I'm feeling it, right when it's happening, I always find I need to be in some sort of survival mode or mature mom mode, so it always seems to come later that I have the breakdown.

I'm definitely always drawn to the injustice of people who have been imprisoned for things they didn't do. But also lots about abortion and gay marriage. Civil issues are usually what I am drawn to.

I see life everywhere I look. I get the energy off the water.

I just got back from Hawaii on Saturday, and it's so depressing how quickly all the stresses and the stressful energy of L.A. comes bombarding back. Everyone's in a rush, you're annoying everyone, get out of their way, everyone's most important than you are, has got somewhere more important to be - very draining town. But I still love it in many ways. I wouldn't leave California. I think it's a fantastic state, if you can't be in Hawaii all the time.

If something or someone's really bugging you, just sit on it. Just sit on it.

I'm not the greatest communicator. I kind of internalize a lot.

I'm not good at multi-tasking.

I really kind of set the bar really low, so I don't get disappointed.

We want to be true to ourselves, and honest to the fans and to ourselves.

I feel the president is ignoring the opinion of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view.

We only have one rule and that is there are no rules, so stand up and sing as much as you want to.

I would feel like my life was a success if my children grow into well-adjusted, happy, functioning members of society. Capable and happy and normal.

Politicians against gay marriage now, are the future villains of our American History books.

The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country? I don't see why people care about patriotism.

Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence...and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.