ART LINKLETTER

Yes, I backed the hula hoop. And I had a lot of other people come to me with ideas that turned out well.

I grew up poor. I never had any money. I was a hobo, you know, ride the freights.

Sometimes I'm asked by kids why I condemn marijuana when I haven't tried it. The greatest obstetricians in the world have never been pregnant.

The four stages of man are infancy, childhood, adolescence, and obsolescence.

One of the wonderful things about going to a small college is you can get into everything.

I like what I'm doing. Today at 88, I wouldn't think of quitting because I can't think of anything else I would rather do. And now with my lectures on all the charitable things that I do, just as you do, I think that what I'm doing matters.

My philosophy is to do the best you can for somebody. Help. It's not just what do you for yourself. It's how you treat people decently. The golden rule. There isn't big anything better than the golden rule. It's in every major religion in one language or another.

A finished product is one that has already seen its better days.

I stand fearlessly for small dogs, the American Flag, motherhood and the Bible. That's why people love me.

I've learned it's always better to have a small percentage of a big success, than a hundred percent of nothing.

The depths of the Depression. You didn't ask what the job was, what the pay was, you didn't ask about stock options, or - you said yes.

In the Top 40, half the songs are secret messages to the teen world to drop out, turn on, and groove with the chemicals and light shows at discotheques.

Diplomacy: the art of jumping into troubled waters without making a splash.

If anything is worth trying at all, it's worth trying at least 10 times.

The two best interview subjects are children under 10 and people over 70 for the same reason: they say the first thing that comes to their mind. The children don't know what they're saying and the old folks don't care.

A poor old man held the winning ticket on a half million dollar lottery. Hearing the old man might be surprised at the shock, the local pastor was asked to break the news gradually. The pastor made a customary call, and while visiting casually asked the old man what he would do with a half million dollars if he had it. The old man replied, "why, I'd give half of it to you." Whereupon the pastor dropped dead.

Posterity is the patriotic name for grandchildren.

Kids do say the darndest things

Troubadours travelled from town to town. They didn't really sing too good, which is the main reason they kept going.

The only meaningful contact is one that involves a genuine, giving personal interaction. You may want another person to help you in business, but you must also be willing to help him and to spend time getting to know his interests and needs... It has to be real and heartfelt, or it's best not to try to establish the relationship at all.

Do a little more than you're paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family, and friends.

No one can keep from aging, but there is no need to grow old.

And keep a sense of humor. It doesn't mean you have to tell jokes. If you can't think of anything else, when you're my age, take off your clothes and walk in front of a mirror. I guarantee you'll get a laugh.

Being alive at 87 is quite an accomplishment if you're curious, interested, seeing the fun out of life, doing things, having a purpose.

I eat a lowfat diet, think positively, get exercise every day.