“The question I love to get asked is: ‘What’s the hardest part of your job?’ And literally, the answer is probably real sad, but it’s to just to be me. Like, it’s really hard, because I think people, you know, have a set idea of what a pop star should be.”

I am just like my mother. She raised me to love and take care of animals, especially the ones that need it the most and so I started Eddie’s Rescue Ranch. We take in animals that need extra care and attention and the animals that get left behind.

Even though I hate acting, I love doing videos for my songs.

Confidence is seen, not heard.

I have a big fear of change, or negative change, anyway. I’m basically the same person I was when I won ‘Idol,’ or when I was 10.

I try not to date musicians. It’s all I’ve dated. Every guy I’ve dated is a musician. Obviously, it’s not working.

It’s ignorant to think you know everything about a person. There’s many different sides to everybodys personality and there’s just different colours to a personality.

I sing songs that I have lived or I write them because I have lived them. I think the believability factor is key.

I may not be Einstein but I know dumb plus dumb equals you.

I’m so happy now. I love that I’m in a relationship right now… I want a life… The past five years or so I’ve found my groove and my balance.

The hardest thing about being in this business is just being able to be yourself. People act like there’s this one set of rules to follow to be a pop star and I think, ‘Well, you say I’m a pop star, so maybe that’s not true.’

I’ve never been more nervous in my life than singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Life’s too short to be a pushover.

Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny.

If I can wake up everyday before I die and know that I don’t have to serve anyone food or drinks, I will be happy!

My mom and I are like sisters. We kind of grew up together. She always treated me as an adult. I never had curfew. She’s a workaholic, like I am. We’re not super family-oriented people, you know?

I live on a ranch in Texas and do my own thing. And I don’t care what anyone has to say about it. My joke is that the only people I’m trying to please are myself and my fans, because they’re the ones buying my records. And I have the best, most loyal fan base ever.

Do you know how hard it is to say nothing? When every atom of you strains to do the opposite?

It’s hard to see someone with a ‘perfect’ body and be like, ‘Why can’t I be like her?’ But that person was born to be who she is, and you’re born to be who you are.

We work in the dark — we do what we can — we give what we have.

Those who best know human nature will acknowledge most fully what a strength light hearted nonsense give to a hard working man

Everybody loves to show up at the party once all the hard work is done.

I never knew anybody . . . who found life simple. I think a life or a time looks simple when you leave out the details.

I am a black diamond, unfaceted. Black diamonds are rare, hard to cut, and therefore uncommercial.

When you’re a writer, you hear your internal critic, and that’s really hard to get over. And then sometimes you hear critiques from classmates and stuff.