I think it is a huge honor to get to go play for the troops who have been working their tails off for several years, some with several tours under their belt.

I think it's a natural fit, major league baseball and country music.

The risks are 'How country can you go?' rather than 'How rock can you take it?'

I enjoy every minute, because there are going to be a lot of moments in your future that you're going to wish you held onto longer.

I can't sing anything other than country!

That's what we need nowadays, is more children that have goals other than being a sports figure or some kind of celebrity.

It's important that adults get along with each other for the child's sake, and that is our situation.

You know, I'd like to sit here and blame everybody else for my trouble. I just can't do that. I can't find it in myself to do it.

It's very hard for me to say I'm sorry... but I do.

The overall physical demand that Iraq has is pretty amazing. It's 130 degrees, and the soldiers are carrying about 100 pounds of extra gear. It's a pretty rigorous schedule and routine for them.

You have to believe that things can be bigger than what you see in front of you in order to move forward.

Everything that's cool that happens, I look at my wife and I say, 'We need to enjoy this moment right here! This is really special!'

The Dalai Lama's entire being is about peace and harmony, forgiveness and self-discipline. Those are qualities to be admired. I am really looking forward to meeting His Holiness.

It doesn't really matter to me what the rest of country is doing. I'm not caught up in trying to make a record that sounds like everybody else. That, to me, is a record label's absolute biggest downfall.

I think it says wonders about people that can write an entire album, and put out an entire album of great songs. I mean, the Brad Paisley's, Alan Jackson especially, even Taylor Swift - those people can really pen great stuff.

My message to kids who bully other kids is: You know it's wrong! What's really going on? Try not to make somebody else's life miserable because you are.

Performing for the Dalai Lama - those are words I never imagined coming out of my mouth.

Winning the ACM, winning the CMA, my first time on the Opry and having Grammy nominations were all a big deal to me.

When you find great songs, and somehow you get a spark in a little way, it can become brand new.

If one artist sells five million albums, the tendency is for other artists to say, 'Maybe I should do a little of that, too.' That can be tough to resist.

Sometimes as an artist you get wrapped up in what you are doing and you can't be objective.

The people who are competing business-wise out there want what other successful labels and artists have. I don't want what they have; I want my own path, my own sound, my own identity. Record labels care nothing about identity or artistic freedom, they want good business.

I recorded the song 'Believers' because I feel the song has a strong and much needed message. We all need encouragement and something to believe in.

It's always a pleasure to perform for people who love country music. And Australians definitely fall into that category. Each time I go back, I learn something new about the country, and I get to see some of the most beautiful places on the planet.

I'm a traditional country singer and we're always trying to make that a fresh and modern sound. That's always going to be the challenge with me.

Life on the road is very different from a normal, day to day life, and sometimes that surrealistic existence can have an effect on you, you tend to forget that's not really how things are supposed to be. But there comes a point where you have to pace yourself and find a place in your mind where you can be real.

Anybody can get lost in themselves.

In my mind, as long as I did what was right for me, I was cool. But that's not the way it works. You have to think about other people and take their feelings into account.

I'm big into fishing, but I've never been much of a hunter. I never was really raised around it a whole lot, so I never got a chance to do it a whole lot.

The way that I am now, I don't want to accept mediocrity. I don't want to accept the easy road.

My previous visits to Australia created fantastic memories, so I'm definitely looking forward to another visit. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I think every person in the entire country is nice. Seriously, I haven't seen or heard of a mean person yet. And they love country music.