Willie Nelsonwas only six months old when his mother walked out on him. And a few years later, his father did the same thing. So Willie and his big sister Bobbie moved in with William and Nancy Nelson—their paternal grandparents—in Abbott, Texas. Willie was so young, he would call them Mama and Daddy for the rest of his life. During this time, The Great Depression had ravaged the country and the Nelsons were dirt poor. There was barely enough food to go around, but what they had, they gave freely.
Daddy Nelson bought him his first guitar when he was six—along with a chord book he studied like scripture. By seven, most kids are learning how to write—but Willie? He was writing his own songs. “Mama and Daddy Nelson gave Bobbie and me two gifts that saved our lives,” Willie would later say. “Love and music.” But soon thereafter, heartbreak struck again when Willie’s beloved grandfather died of pneumonia. A grief-stricken Willie sat down with his Stella guitar and started writing songs about what he was feeling.
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By the time he was a teenager, Willie was playing his songs in rough honky-tonks across central Texas. After graduating from Abbott High School in 1950, he enlisted in the Air Force, but a bad back got him discharged after just nine months. So he came home, married a 16-year-old waitress named Martha Matthews, started a family, and continued making music.
What followed was decades of grinding—relocating multiple times to wherever he could find work. But in 1961, he sold a little song called “Crazy” to Patsy Cline and it became one of the most iconic country songs ever recorded. While he didn’t get paid much for the song, he continued writing and touring.
Related: 1961 Country Icon Turned Classic Heartbreak Anthem Into a Major Hit After Changing the Title
Over the next few years, he wrote hits for artists like Faron Young and Roy Orbison. Nelson was finally making real money—but as a songwriter, not as a singer. Nashville thought his voice was too unusual and that his look was too rough to become a country star.
But on Dec. 23, 1969, his Tennessee house burned to the ground and Willie decided to move back to Texas. By 1972, he’d grown his hair long, started wearing a bandana and a beat-up t-shirt, and pioneered a sound called “outlaw country.” Nashville suits told him that his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger was too weird to sell. Nelson was undeterred and it went platinum.
In the 50+ years since, Willie Nelson has released more than 140 studio albums, won 12 Grammy Awards and recorded 25 No. 1 country hits. He’s been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Kennedy Center Honors. He co-founded Farm Aid, which has raised more than $90 million for American family farmers since 1985—and at 93 years old, Willie still personally signs the grant checks.
Throughout his life, Willie Nelson has both survived and achieved the unthinkable—and that’s why he’s today’s quote of the day.
Quote of the Day by Willie Nelson
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This quote really hits hard when you think about what Nelson endured before he became one of the biggest artists in music history. Both of his parents abandoned him. The grandfather who raised him as his son died when he was just a little kid. He grew up poor and worked dozens of odd jobs to put food on the table. He wrote a massive hit with “Crazy” and barely saw a dime. His house burned down and everyone told him his unique sound and look just wouldn’t work in country music. But once he started counting his blessings—and stopped dwelling on his pain—his life changed forever.
Because gratitude isn’t a feeling that just suddenly happens to you once you’ve made it big. It’s a practice you choose—day after day—as you’re chasing your goals and dreams. When you choose gratitude, the world around you actually starts to look different—and your life becomes different.
Related: Willie Nelson Shares the Stories Behind 6 of His Most Popular Songs
Deeper Meaning of Willie Nelson’s Quote: Gratitude
The decision to count your blessings—choosing to focus on what’s good in your life, especially when things feel bad—rewires the way your brain processes everything else. The bills that felt overwhelming feel a little lighter and the slights that stung start to feel a little smaller. Using your energy to focus on the positive is so much healthier than wasting energy on the negative.
That’s what Willie figured out. Once he started counting his blessings and practicing gratitude, he found success beyond his wildest dreams. And when things feel totally terrible, it means taking a minute to focus on the little things—like yesterday’s phone conversation that made you laugh or the delicious sandwich you ate today at lunch—and they’ll life you up just a little bit. And over time, your entire life will start to turn around.
More Quotes by Willie Nelson
- “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
- “There’s nothing wrong with being a little crazy. Sometimes that’s the only way to get through life.”
- “Freedom is control in your own life.”
- “99 percent of the world’s lovers are not with their first choice. That’s what makes the jukebox play.”
- “Be here. Be present. Wherever you are, be there.”
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