TV legend Betty White would have turned 100 years old yesterday. Fans chose to honor her in the best way possible and make donations in her name to various animal shelters, nonprofit organizations, zoos, and pet sanctuaries across the country in a challenge that was dubbed #TheBettyWhiteChallenge.
White, sadly, passed away on December 31, 2021, following complications from a stroke at age 99.
In addition to her love of animals, Betty was well-known for having a sharp sense of wit and a fantastic sense of humor, and so she left the world with a lot of great quotes over the years that we’ll always remember. Here’s a look back at some of her best quotes ever on everything from staying young at heart to keeping a sense of humor and general words of wisdom.
To Betty White, age was just a number
Most people plan to retire from their careers at some point, but Betty White was not one of them.
“Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way,” she was quoted in Good Housekeeping.
She also admitted, “I feel like a teenager trapped in an old body.”
Betty never forgot that she still looked good for her age, saying, “I may be a senior, but so what? I’m hot.”
Enjoy every minute of every day
Betty made sure to live life to the fullest, and encouraged everyone else to do the same.
In the final interview that Betty White gave to Entertainment Weekly, she wanted people to “taste every moment” of what life had to offer.
“I wouldn’t dare to give myself advice — I’m too old!” she quipped when asked for advice. “But seriously, the advice I’d give anyone at any age: Taste every moment. Don’t take anything for granted.”
Focus on the positive
Part of Betty’s ability to stay so young at heart was because she always tried to look on the bright side of life and not dwell on negativity.
“Accentuate the positive, not the negative,” she told Parade in 2018.
“It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, ‘Hey, that was great!’ It’s not hard to find great stuff if you look.”
Betty’s lifestyle tips
Betty had her own particular definitions of healthy eating and exercise, confessing that her favorite foods were french fries, hot dogs, Red Vines, potato chips, and vodka, and not necessarily in that order.
“I try to avoid anything green. I think it’s working,” she once joked in an interview with People magazine.
Betty had a soft spot in particular for the legendary Los Angeles-based Pink’s Hot Dogs; so much so that they created a special toppings-free hot dog in her honor, the Betty White Naked Dog, which will be a permanent fixture on the menu. For the next week, all of the proceeds from sales will go to the Los Angeles Zoo.
Betty’s animals
Betty was just as passionate about animals as she was about acting.
When I’m around animals, I don’t pay attention to people.” she told Good Housekeeping.
“Animals don’t lie,” she said. “Animals don’t criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do.”
Lots of laughter
Betty White was famous for having a great sense of humor and for not taking things too seriously. She was all about the laughter.
“Laughter keeps everyone feeling wonderful,” she once said. “If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble.”
Betty White kept her fans smiling and laughing over the years, and she will be very missed.