Quote Of The Day By Tina Turner: 'I Don't Necessarily Want To Be A 'Strong' Person...'

Tina Turner was known as the Queen of Rock & Roll, but when she was born in Nutbush, Tennessee, on November 26, 1939, she was just Anna Mae Bullock. When she was just 17 years old, she joined Ike Turner's band. They became a duo, both onstage as Ike and Tina Turner and offstage as husband and wife five years later, and produced hit after hit throughout the '60s and '70s.

But Turner might also correctly be called the Queen of the Comeback. After leaving the notoriously abusive Ike in 1976 and struggling to find anyone in the business willing to help her launch a solo career, Turner came back better than ever with "Private Dancer," the best-selling album of her career. After announcing her retirement in 2000, she launched a sold-out farewell tour with a performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards that upstaged even Beyonce. She's won multiple Grammys over three decades, sold more than 100 million records, and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame not once but twice (once for her duo with Ike, and then as a solo artist). 

Like another pop culture figure known for the height of the structures growing from his head (she's always been open and honest about wearing wigs), she just kept going and going. And that's why Tina Turner is today's quote of the day.

"I don't necessarily want to be a 'strong' person," Tina Turner told The New York Times in 2019. "I had a terrible life. I just kept going. You just keep going, and you hope that something will come." Fortunately, "this came," she said, referring to her success and post-retirement peace.

The Broadway premiere of "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" was the occasion that prompted The New York Times to sit down with Turner in her opulent Swiss estate. However, that peek behind the scenes into her well-earned life of leisure soon became the focus of the interview. It's hard to imagine such a dynamo being content with retirement, but Turner was thrilled to lay down her fringed sword and just relax (not to mention spend time with her younger husband, debunking the myth that the man is always older in celeb age gap relationships). Having suffered so many personal and professional setbacks, Turner has always been thought of as the epitome of a strong woman, so it's refreshing to hear her set the record straight that it wasn't as easy as she made it look.

What does it mean to be strong? By definition, a strong person can carry a heavy load with relative ease. They relish the challenge because it's not very hard for them. However, not everyone values strength as a goal for themselves. Sometimes, it's thrust upon them against their will by their circumstances, and those who prefer a life of softness will have a much more difficult time shouldering those burdens.

It's a lot easier, however, if they don't fight it. Tina Turner knew that the "terrible" events of her life, from early family separation to domestic violence to career slumps, weren't going to get any better if she just gave up. Instead, she accepted life's hardships and forged on, uncertain what would be on the other side but knowing that was the only way out. Let the rewards she reaped inspire you to accept your next challenge and take a swing at life's curveballs instead of running away. After all, you don't get stronger without lifting heavy things.

• "My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself. ... It's a mistake to think you are what you put on yourself. I believe that a lot of how you look has to do with how you feel about yourself and your life."

• "Living a joyful life, I've found, is not about trying to avoid the unavoidable. Joy comes from summoning a strong life force to overcome problems, from the smallest irritation to the biggest disaster."

• "At every moment, we always have a choice, even if it feels as if we don't. Sometimes that choice may simply be to think a more positive thought."

• "Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self, comes out."

• "People think my life has been tough, but I think it's been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realize it's not what happened, it's how you deal with it."