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35 Betty White Quotes in Honor of What Would've Been Her 100th Birthday


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On December 31, 2021, American sweetheart and TV icon Betty White died at the age of 99. Today marks what would've been her 100th birthday.

The actress is best known for playing Rose Nylund on the popular TV series The Golden Girls but is also recognized for her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland. With eight decades of working in the entertainment industry both in front of and behind the camera, Betty was and will forever be a pioneer and legend.

Throughout her life, Betty gave countless interviews and frequently shared words of wisdom and perfectly crafted comedic lines, while expressing love for her fans. She was also a huge animal lover and dedicated her time and money to helping various animal welfare groups and organizations. Betty is an unforgettable woman who will be missed, but these quotes will help us all keep her memory alive forever.

Photo credit: Bob Riha Jr - Getty Images
Photo credit: Bob Riha Jr - Getty Images


Betty White Quotes on Aging

  • “Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way.”

  • "I think older women still have a full life."

  • “I have no regrets at all. None. I consider myself to be the luckiest old broad on two feet.”

  • “I may be a senior, but so what? I’m still hot.”

  • “People say, ‘But Betty, Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends.’ Well, at my age, if I want to connect with old friends I need a Ouija board.”

  • “My mother always used to say, 'The older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana.'”

  • “My philosophy for staying young is [to] act bubbly every day, drink bubbly every birthday!”

  • “You know people who are already saying, ‘I’m going to be 30 – oh, what am I going to do?’ Well, use that decade! Use them all!”

  • “Everybody needs a passion. That’s what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints.”

  • “You’re never too old for anything.”

  • “Does desire melt away with age? I’m waiting for that day to come.”

  • “I’m a teenager trapped in an old body.”

  • “Best thing about being in your 90s is you’re spoiled rotten. Everybody spoils you like mad, and they treat you with such respect because you’re old. Little do they know, you haven’t changed. You haven’t changed in [the brain]. You’re just 90 everyplace else.”

  • “Don’t try to be young. Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won’t live long enough to find out about, but I’m still curious about them.”

Photo credit: Michael Kovac - Getty Images
Photo credit: Michael Kovac - Getty Images


Betty White Quotes on Animals

  • "Animals don't lie. Animals don't criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do."

  • "You can always tell about somebody by the way they put their hands on an animal."

  • "When I'm around animals, I don't pay attention to people."

  • "Animal lover that I am, a cougar I am not."

  • "I stayed in show business to pay for my animal business."

Photo credit: Hulton Archive - Getty Images
Photo credit: Hulton Archive - Getty Images

Betty White Quotes on Humor

  • “Laughter keeps everyone feeling wonderful.”

  • “Doing drama is, in a sense, easier. In doing comedy, if you don’t get that laugh, there’s something wrong.”

  • “Humor is like music. It’s a rhythm, and you just kind of get the rhythm of it, and you have to know not to let the beat go too long, but to leave a beat in there for it to gel, you know.”

  • “It’s fun once in a while to do a serious part but I really enjoy doing comedy because I love to laugh.”

  • “If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble.”

  • “Well, I mean, if a joke or humor is bawdy, it’s got to be funny enough to warrant it. You can’t just have it bawdy or dirty just for the sake of being that – it’s got to be funny.”

  • “I know it sounds corny, but I try to see the funny side and the upside, not the downside. I get bored with people who complain about this or that. It’s such a waste of time."

  • “I just laugh. Have I got them fooled."

  • “The audience today has heard every joke. They know every plot … It’s much more competitive now, because the audience is so much more ... I want to say 'sophisticated.'”

Photo credit: NBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: NBC - Getty Images

Betty White's Wisest Quotes

  • “I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple."

  • “I know unless I’m true to myself I couldn’t be happy. Too much emphasis is placed today on externals and too little on character.”

  • “I just care what kind of a decent human being you are.”

  • “Keep the other person’s well being in mind when you feel an attack of soul-purging truth coming on.”

  • “Kindness and consideration of somebody besides yourself keeps you feeling young.”

  • “You don’t luck into integrity. You work at it.”

  • “Butterflies are like woman – we may look pretty and delicate, but baby, we can fly through a hurricane.”

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