This year, on January 22, the television icon Betty White celebrated her 97th birthday, with her friends..and a game of poker. This might come as no great surprise to her fans, as the age of the last surviving member of the Golden Girls cast has never been an issue with her.

In an interview in Parade magazine, she joked that she credited her age and long life to hot dogs and vodka. She has stolen our hearts for the long haul since her pioneering work in the 1950s.

In the 2014 edition of the record-keeping tome, White was awarded the title of Longest TV Career for an Entertainer (Female) for her more than 70 years (and counting) in show business.

White is also known to be the first woman to produce a sitcom (“Life with Elizabeth”) which in 1955 has gained her the honorary title Mayor of Hollywood.

From “The Golden Girls” to hilarious Super Bowl commercials, Betty White has won the admiration of fans everywhere.

This amazing American woman seems to have no plans on slowing down amid her thriving career. Along with providing the world with entertainment, she has also shared her humor and love of animals on numerous occasions.

She has served for more than four decades as a trustee and on the board of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, and in 2012 published a book, Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo, with photos and anecdotes of her favorite animals there.

Let’s honor her with a collection of some of her best quotes:

“A lady likes to be complimented on her looks, her eyes, her figure. But the personality comments are much appreciated. “

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

“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 an Ouija board.”

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

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

“I cannot stand the people who get wonderful starts in show business and who abuse it. Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, for example, although there are plenty of others, too. They are the most blessed people in the world, and they don’t appreciate it.”

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

“ I am in the acting business. That’s the ego business.”

“When we started in television [in ‘Life with Elizabeth’ from 1952 to 1955], there was that magic box in the corner of the room, and ‘Oh my gosh — look what it’s doing!’”

“The bottom line is, I’m blessed with good health. On top of that, I don’t go around thinking ‘Oh, I’m 90, I better do this or I better do that.’ I’m just Betty. I’m the same Betty that I’ve always been. Take it or leave it.”

“Animals don’t lie. Animals don’t criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do.”

“You can lie to anyone in the world and even get away with it, perhaps, but when you are alone and look into your own eyes in the mirror, you can’t sidestep the truth.”

“So you may not be as fast on your feet, and the image in your mirror may be a little disappointing, but if you are still functioning and not in pain, gratitude should be the name of the game.”

“If everyone took personal responsibility for their animals, we wouldn’t have a lot of the animal problems that we do. I’m a big spay-and-neuter supporter. Don’t have babies if you’re not going to take care of those babies. We don’t need more. We just need to take care of the ones we have. Take responsibility and breathe kindness.”

“I’m not a big cook. I only go in the kitchen to feed my dog.”

“I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time — and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones — I think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t know how people can get so anti-something.”

“I’m not into animal rights — I’m only into animal welfare and health. I’ve been with the Morris Animal Foundation since the ’70s. We’re a health organization. We fund campaign health studies for dogs, cats, lizards, and wildlife. I’ve worked with the L.A. Zoo for about the same length of time.”

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

“ I may be senior, but so what? I am still hot.”

“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.”

“Animal lover that I am, a cougar I am not.”

‘Enjoy life. 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.’ ”

“I’m the luckiest broad on two feet, I’ll tell you that. They say once a woman passes 40 she doesn’t get any good parts, so I’m blessed.”

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

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

Sources:
thewildchild.co.za
www.ibtimes.com
www.ibtimes.com
thepowerofsilence.co
www.thevintagenews.com
mentalfloss.com