Danny Gokey

One thing I didn't want to believe in is that I couldn't have a family and do music at the same time.

One of the things that I learned at a very young age is the power of a parent's words to their children.

I needed to walk through the 'Idol' door to get to the rest of my career.

As everyone in the world can see, I am not a rocker.

I want to have a movement with my music.

I like that in country, you can talk about what you want to talk about. You can entertain, yet you can have a spiritual side to you, also an emotional side.

I can just be a Christian who sings mainstream music instead of having to be a Christian who has to somehow just sing Christian music.

I had underwear thrown on stage that said 'Gokey' on the back... all glittery! It was grandma-underwear, too.

When I sing songs, I love to put emotion into it. I want people to feel what I feel and just disappear for a moment.

Many people don't have an internal vision to go after something, fight for something, make a plan. So the biggest thing is - until you get picked up by a major label or until something breaks, you need to plan out what your dream is going to be.

I've kind of walked into a realm where it's paid off for all the hard work that I've put into it, and I get to bless my family. And that's the one thing I love doing. I love giving.

I don't live in regret land. I live in the now and in the future, and in the dreams that I have.

I tell people life is like a book being written by heavenly hands that we can't see.

I believe in helping people who are down.

When you write about hope, don't make it sappy; make it cool, make it adaptable.

I tell people that life is like a book. Sometimes you've just got to turn the chapter. Even if you don't understand it, turn the chapter and move away from it. You don't know all the good things that are ahead of you yet.

I have a mission, and that's to help people. That's what I want my music to do.

I really believed music was going to be a big part of my future, and that's why I took a truck driving job, so I could maintain my singing job at night. I put about 30 hours a week just for singing, going between two churches. And in order to afford that, I had to take a full time job so I could do my passion.

When I was 12 years old, my dad got into country music. My first CD was Wynonna Judd, and I loved it.

On 'American Idol,' I felt like one of my challenges was picking songs because I've definitely been exposed to a lot of music. So when I went to pick songs, it was difficult for me to choose, but I'd always go to country because country music is so memorable.