In addition to being an amazing performer with an otherworldly set of pipes [1], Pink is also one of the realest, most outspoken stars there is today. Throughout her nearly 20-year career — she began performing in Philadelphia-area clubs when she was just 14 years old — she's never shied away from sharing her honest opinions about anything, including fame, relationships, motherhood (she and husband Carey Hart [2] are parents to 5-year-old Willow), and her tumultuous upbringing. We've rounded up 23 of Pink's inspiring, badass quotes; keep reading to see them all now, then check out the reasons she should be a role model [3] for your kids.
On Life
- "You can't move mountains by whispering at them [4]."
- "My dad raised me with some good advice: 'Always tell the truth. Always shoot from the hip [5]. You might not have many friends, but you'll never have enemies, because people will always know where you're coming from.'"
- "Charting your own course isn't just more necessary than ever before. It's also much easier — and living my life [6]. I don't want to be your kind of good."
- "I wish that girls embraced their power [7] and their worth and their value in their youth, and not sell it or barter it for anything and have to buy it back later in life. I wish for my daughter to grow up in a world where wonderful publications celebrate them for their originality, their individuality, their willingness to be true to themselves, and the courage to be scary and emotional to get sh*t done. I wish for women to stop apologizing for those very things that make us women."
On Her Past
- "The problem was, I was labeled as trouble — so I was like, 'Trouble? I'll show you trouble [8]. You want trouble, well here it is!' No matter what label they give you, the best thing you can do is prove them wrong."
- "To experience the good you have to have seen the bad; plus it makes you appreciate blessings more [9]. [Tough times] taught me to be a fighter."
On Her Career
- "I decided at 15 that I didn't want to be one of those artists that gets up and sings love songs they don't mean. I decided that I was going to be me to the fullest extent, that my songs were going to reflect relationships I've had, things I've been through, and even the stuff I'm embarrassed about [10]."
- "Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention [11]. But you have to get there."
- "For so long, I was searching for something to be proud of [12]. But at a certain point, I realized, 'Wait, I'm doing what I want to be doing. I'm not wanting to do it; I'm doing it.' And that's awesome."
- "It's very easy for me to tap into 'go f*ck yourself. Maybe that's the only way I feel powerful. I'm in the best place I've ever been in my life, and I'd say it's 80 percent happiness and 20 percent sheer confusion and fear that I'll f*ck it up somehow. I'm consumed by my emotions [13]."
- "Every album, I'm worried that I'm a dork and a fraud; what if I can't sing anymore? Then I stop thinking and start playing guitar, and I realize that it's OK to suck [14], and move forward."
- "I'm feeling really grateful [15]. I'm feeling grateful that I've been able to participate in this game for as long as I have. I'm feeling grateful that I've been able to tell my stories. I don't know that my mom and dad are that grateful, or Carey [Hart, Pink's husband], but it's been good for me. I'm grateful if I've kept one girl from feeling different or ugly or unempowered."
On Being a Mom
- "[Willow] was in the frank breech position, which is head up with her legs up by her head. We tried everything to turn her around [16]. Turns out this little girl had other plans — she is my daughter, after all."
- "The willow is my favorite tree. I grew up near one. It's the most flexible tree in nature and nothing can break it; no wind, no elements. It can bend and withstand anything. I love that sentiment. I want that for her [17]."
- "I look at Willow and she's so naughty and fiery, and I'm not going to take any of her fierceness personally — my mom took all of my behavior personally. Everything I did, she thought it was an act of rebellion against her [18]. But it was just me being me. And that's something I want to post on every mirror in my house: 'This is not about you!'"
- "I'm used to going into the studio and smoking and drinking until three in the morning. But I can't drink as much because I'm breastfeeding. See this glass of wine? Before, I'd have, like, four of them. Now, one is good. Oh, and I quit smoking. . . I've exorcised a lot of my demons, but I'm still working on myself. I think I'll be a work in progress [19] for the rest of my life."
On Sex and Relationships
- "I've always had an issue with [the idea that]: 'OK, we've both decided to do this. Why am I a slut and you're the player? You didn't get anything from me that I didn't get from you [20].""
- "'Sexy' doesn't have to come with the price tag of being dumb [21]."
- "There's something about breaking up with someone [22]; you just look hotter than you ever did before. I will never look as good as I did those six months after we broke up. Never!"
- "People are always like, 'Why did you [and husband Carey Hart] get back together?'" Well, we weren't done [23]. And now we have Willow, so we'll never be done."
- "Accept that it's good? Are things ever good [24]? I don't believe that exists. Long-term relationships are an everyday choice. It's harder to be in a marriage than it is to bounce from one relationship to the next. We're good because we communicate and we've grown up together, not because we don't fight."
- "Boys go off to war and women wait. But we go off to war [25], too. In fact, we do more and more and we have to deal with sh*t you guys don't wanna know about like Spanx and body awareness and being pitted against each other, constantly in competition."
