Betty White's 100th birthday: 10 quotes on how the Golden Girl approached life

The legendary actress died a few weeks shy of her milestone birthday - but her wit and wisdom live on

Betty White at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, in 2018. Reuters

Betty White attends The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's 45th Beastly Ball on June 20, 2015. Getty Images

Betty White during a portrait session on March 29, 2011, at the Museum of Radio and TV in Los Angeles. Getty Images

Betty White poses with her Lifetime Achievement Award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. AFP

Betty White speaks on stage at the TV Land Awards held at The Hollywood Palladium, March 7, 2004. AFP

Bea Arthur as Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo and Betty White as Rose Nylund in 'The Golden Girls' in 1986. Getty Images

Ed Asner, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Knight in 1976. Getty Images

Betty White as a celebrity contestant on a game show in April 1963. Getty Images

Betty White at home in 1954. Getty Images

Betty White in 1954. Getty Images

On December 31, celebrated comedic actress Betty White died, less than three weeks from what would have been her 100th birthday on January 17.

The beloved Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show actress died at her Los Angeles home as a result of a December 25 cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for a stroke, she suffered six days prior, according to the LA County death certificate.

It was a big blow for the entertainment industry at large, and a number of celebrated personalities – from Ryan Reynolds to US President Joe Biden – came forward to pay tribute to White after her death.

White will always be remembered for her comedic roles, her acting chops, her love for animals and for being well ahead of her times – and all that is reflected in her quips from over the years.

With today being what should have been the star’s centenary, we take a look at some of her most famous quotes. Words that we can all live by, even for the next 100 years.

1. On ageing gracefully

“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. 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!”

2. On work and retirement

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

3. On keeping it light

“It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humour in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.”

4. On social media

“I didn't know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time.”

5. On staying in touch with friends

“People have told me ‘Betty, Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with old friends.’ At my age, if I wanted to keep in touch with old friends, I’d need a Ouija board."

6. On animals

"Animals don’t lie. Animals don’t criticise. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do."

7. On having a sense of humour

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

8. On being kind

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

9. On how to approach life

"Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much."

10. On being in her nineties

“Best thing about being in your nineties 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.”

See how Betty White's style evolved over the decades:

Betty White, in a veiled hat and striped dress, poses for a headshot in 1955. Getty Images

Betty White, in a black and white floral dress, poses on the phone in a Hollywood studio in 1957. Press Wire

Betty White, in a pale gown, on a TV set in 1958. Reuters

Betty White, in a floral dress, appears on a game show in April 1963. Photo: NBC

Betty White, in a dusty rose top and strings of pearls, poses for a headshot in 1965. AP

Betty White, in a Grecian-style gown, attends 20th annual Radio and Television Guild Benefit Gala on May 3, 1968, at the New York Hilton Hotel in New York City. Getty Images

Betty White, in a velvet coat over a dress with a metallic handbag, poses with husband Allen Ludden at an International Broadcasting Awards dinner tribute to Mary Tyler Moore on March 19, 1974. Getty Images

Betty White, in a black sequinned top, with 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' co-stars Ed Asner, Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Knight at the 28th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on May 18, 1976. AP

Betty White, in a white layered top, black skirt and embroidered blue belt, with Ted Knight at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on September 13, 1981. AP

Betty White, in a velvet jacket, white shirt and rose necklace, poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on March 5, 1982. AP

Betty White, in a white satin striped dress, attends the NBC Affiliates Party on May 16, 1983. Getty Images

Betty White, in a champagne sequin and satin gown, at the Emmy Awards on September 16, 1990. Getty Images

Betty White, in a metallic gold gown, with Estelle Getty and Beatrice Arthur at the 'Night of 100 Stars' recording on May 5, 1990, at Radio City Music Hall. Shutterstock

Betty White, in a blush dress and pastel kimono, attends the Second Annual Comedy Hall of Fame on August 28, 1994, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images

Betty White, in a black dress with a white collar and gold flower broach, attends the 'Bringing Down the House' premiere in Los Angeles on March 2, 2003. Reuters

Betty White, in a green dress with gold detail, attends the Screen Smart Set Auxiliary of the Motion Picture & Television Fund event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire on October 8, 2003, in Beverly Hills, California. AFP

Betty White, in a lilac and green two-piece, attends the second annual TV Land Awards held at The Hollywood Palladium on March 7, 2004. AFP

Betty White, in a red shirt and sequinned jacket, poses during the Writers Guild Awards held at the Palladium in Hollywood on February 25, 2005. AFP

Betty White, in a mint green shirt and lion pendant, attends Old Navy's kick off event in its nationwide search for a new canine mascot at Franklin Canyon Park on April 29, 2006. AFP

Betty White, in a sheer floral jacket over a tan two-piece with pearl earrings and a gold necklace, arrives at the 59th annual Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on June 15, 2007. AFP

'Golden Girls' stars Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White, in a turquoise three-piece set, attend the TV Land Awards at Barker Hanger on June 8, 2008, in Santa Monica. EPA

Betty White, in a repeated sheer floral jacket over a tan two-piece with glittering earrings, arrives at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences celebrating her 60 years in television at the Leonard Goldenson Theatre on August 7, 2008. AFP

Betty White, in a black and pink shirt, visits Fuse Studios on June 11, 2009, in New York City. AFP

Betty White, in a cyan gown, poses following accepting her Life Achievement Award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. AFP

Betty White, in a black and red silk jacket and sequinned top, arrives for the Time 100 gala in New York City on May 4, 2010. EPA

Betty White, in a repeated lilac and green two-piece with a gold clutch, arrives at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on August 29, 2010. EPA

Betty White, in an animal print two-piece, arrives for the 12th Mark Twain Prize for American Comedy at the Kennedy Centre on November 9, 2010, in Washington. Getty Images

Betty White, in blue trousers and a blue floral twin set, signs copies of 'If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)' at Barnes & Noble, New York City on May 6, 2011. AFP

Betty White, in a red set with pearls, signs copies of her new book 'Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo' in Santa Monica on December 19, 2011. AFP

Betty White, in her repeated sheer floral jacket, backstage at the 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 29, 2012. AP

Betty White, in a floral sequinned jacket, on stage at the 40th Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills on June 16, 2013. Reuters

Betty White, in white trousers and a top with a lime green animal print jacket, visits the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's 44th Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo on June 14, 2014. AFP

Betty White, in an emerald sequinned jacket, accepts the Favourite TV Icon award during the 2015 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California, January 7, 2015. Reuters

Betty White, in a black and silver sequinned top, arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City on February 15, 2015. Photo: Shutterstock

Betty White, wearing a repeated black and green floral sequinned jacket, onstage during the 70th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on September 17, 2018. AFP