Sourced

• I Shall Sing No Song That Is Not A Country Song.
  I Shall Make No Record That Is Not A Country Record.
  I Refuse To be Known As Anything But A Country Singer.
  I Am Proud To be Associated With Country Music.
  Country Music And Country Music Fans Made Me What I Am Today.
  And I Shall Not Forget It.
  • "Pledge To Country Music" in Music City News (March 1965)

• Where, where, are you tonight?
  Why did you leave me here all alone?
  I searched the world over,
  And thought I found true love.
  You met another and
  Pfft! you were gone.
  • " Pfft You Were Gone" - comedic country song often featured on Hee Haw

Unsourced

• I am who I am, I am what I am, I do what I do and I ain't never gonna do it any different. I don't care who likes it and who don't.

• I didn't say I wasn't gonna do rockabilly. I just said I ain't gonna sing no song that ain't a country song. I won't be known as anything but a country singer.

• I enjoyed the Hee Haw people, but from 1980 on I didn't enjoy it and thought about leavin', and thought, hell, it's an easy job and pays wonderful. I kinda just prostituted myself for their money.

• I found a sound that people really liked — I found this basic concept and all I did was change the lyrics and the melody a little bit. My songs, if you listen to them, they're quite a lot alike, like Chuck Berry.

• I remember as a kid being cold a lot, and hungry sometimes. We'd go to bed with just cornbread and milk, and I remember wearing shoes with holes in the bottom. I remember having twine for shoestrings.

• I remember thinkin' that I could probably make about $5 if I'd go out and pick cotton all day. And I could make $5 dollars bein' in this honky-tonk — the guy will give me $5 a night, and I'll be in here where it's warm in the winter and cool in the summertime.

• I was always very grateful to 'em and am grateful to 'em now. I went back a couple of years ago and did their 20th anniversary show. But the longer I stayed on Hee Haw, the worse things got for me musically.

• I was looking to be somebody.

• I'd like just to be remembered as a guy that came along and did his music, did his best and showed up on time, clean and ready to do the job, wrote a few songs, and had a hell of a time.

• I'm from the Bob Wills and the Little Richard school of music. Bob Wills did what the hell he thought, Little Richard did what he thought, and those were my big influences.

• I'm in an absolute frenzy towards doing as many things as I can that I want to do today. The rest can wait till tomorrow, next week, if I'm around we'll take a look.

• It's the truth! Why can't I say "I'm a Beatles fan?" I used to get criticized for that.

• Lady Limelight is a jealous lady. She wants all of your attention. You don't have any time to think of anything else but Lady Limelight, because pretty soon that light will be shinning on somebody else. So you better do it while you can.

• My mother and dad objected strenuously to me playing in the honky-tonks and they never thought I'd amount to anything.