When you think of Betty White, it's almost impossible for a smile not to cross your face. Few women in Hollywood have enjoyed a career that spans over seven decades, while consistently charming the pants off households across America. Her roles are iconic (Rose forever!), her comedic timing remains impeccable, and, best of all, the life experiences she continues to share with us all are marked by a relatable wisdom few celebrities can offer.
This month, the nonagenarian celebrates her 99th (!) birthday. In her honor, we've gathered up the best advice and quotes she has bestowed upon us throughout the years.
How is Betty celebrating her 99th birthday?
She recently told Entertainment Tonight: "What am I doing for my birthday? Running a mile each morning has been curtailed by COVID, so I am working on getting The Pet Set re-released, and feeding the two ducks who come to visit me every day."
Her secret to a long, healthy life
"Enjoy life," she recently told Parade. "Accentuate the positive, not the negative. 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." Her other piece of advice? Eat hot dogs and drink vodka, "probably in that order."
Her biggest regret
White was married to game show host Allen Ludden for 18 years. They met when White was a contestant on the TV game show Password. The two fell in love, but White refused his proposal twice. They were eventually married in 1963. "I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year that Allen and I could have had together, saying, 'No, I wouldn't marry him,'" she told Oprah on an episode of Where Are They Now. "No, I won't leave California. No, I won't move to New York. I wasted a whole year we could have had together, but we made it. We finally did." Ludden passed away in 1981 from stomach cancer.
What advice she would give to widows
In an interview with Katie Couric to ring in her 95th birthday, White shared her advice for dealing with the death of a spouse. "One day at a time," she said. "You don't look ahead and you try not to look back."
Finding meaning later in life
"First of all, keep busy," she told Couric in the same interview. "And don't focus everything on you, that wears out pretty fast. It's not hard to find things you're interested in, but enjoy them and indulge them, and I think that can keep you on your toes."
Make yourself useful
"People take a very dim view of aging, not just in show business, but in almost every business," White said in a 2014 interview with Harper's Bazaar. "They're always looking for the young people coming up, which I understand. But make yourself as useful as possible so that they'll find a place for you too! And don't complain—try to accentuate the positive rather than the negative. If you're complaining, you're not fun to be around, and fun is the name of the game."
Keeping her mind sharp
"Crossword puzzles!" she told Couric. "I'm addicted. An admitted addict. I just can't put 'em down."
How she hopes to be remembered
"Warmly," she told Parade. "I hope they remember something funny. I hope they remember a laugh."
