Top 10 Norman Lear quotes about life

Because 101 years is an awfully long time.

Norman Lear's legacy extends past the television shows and radio programs he produced.

He lived a storied life and along the way, he gathered and related plenty of wisdom. 

Even more immediate than the lessons in Lear's shows were the ones he spoke out loud.

Here are 10 great Norman Lear quotes about life, happiness, and everything in between.

In tribute, please share the most important life lesson you've learned in the comments section below. 

Together, we can learn to live as better neighbors. After all, we're all just a different version of you.

Watch All in the Family on MeTV!

Two full hours!

Sundays at 8 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

1. Living in the present

 

 “When something is over, it’s over. And we are all on to next. And if there was a hammock in the middle, that would be the best definition I could give of living in the moment. So, I think that’s what I’ve been able to do.”

2. Small happiness

 

"Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don't collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything."

3. Defining success

 

"Success is how you collect your minutes. You spend millions of minutes to reach one triumph, one moment, then you spend maybe a thousand minutes enjoying it. If you were unhappy through those millions of minutes, what good is the thousand minutes of triumph?"

4. ''Another Version of You''

 

"My bumper sticker reads 'Just Another Version of You.' The sooner we agree that we're just other versions of each other - we human beings - the sooner we will find some sense of world peace."

5. Something every day

 

"I like getting up in the morning, and I like better having something to do when I get up in the morning."

6. Looking back on your path

 

"I think if you're feeling great about where you are, everything that led up to it had to be terrific."

7. Some solid business advice

 

"The evidence seems clear that those business which actively serve their many constituencies in creative, morally thoughtful ways also, over the long run, serve their shareholders best. Companies do, in fact, do well by doing good."

8. Worth a read

 

"My life without books would be like my life without clothes—naked. Like everyone else, I know that books warm up a room, but they do much more than that. They warm up the soul."

9. What life is about

 

"Life is about having a good time, and it was a good time. We did some things well and some things poorly, but that was always the case."

10. The game of life

 

"I think I learned early that it's hard to be a human being. I don't care what the circumstances of one's birth are, it's hard. If life hasn't made mischief for us, we'll make it for ourselves."

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

12 Comments

Randall 11 months ago
The reason He lived to 101 was his attitude,if We all have an attitude of gratitude, everything else will fall into place!
TamaraJo1957 12 months ago
Rest in Peace Norman Lear. You did a great job teaching people how stupid prejudice and hate was by making fun of those kind people (All in the Family). You brought up women's rights when women couldn't buy a house or car without a man co-signing or even get a credit card (Maude)' You made people think about others. You helped level the playing field for women and people of color.
My step father WAS Archie Bunker he even looked like him, my MIL WAS Edith and she look like her and my husband looked like Rob Reiner and All in the Family was my life in 1976. You made something up and I lived it. And as a 20 something it was guide on how to deal with my life. Thanks for the pointers.
JHP TamaraJo1957 12 months ago
amen-a-roni - bullseye
tootsieg 12 months ago
Good quotes and great shows.
Thanks Mr. Lear. R.I.P.
Katret 12 months ago
If you feed it, it will grow. If you starve it, it will die. Applies to anything
LabLove 12 months ago
Thank you Mr. Lear for timeless entertainment, sprinkled generously with life lessons. R.I.P.
Runeshaper 12 months ago
Lots of wisdom here. Thanks, Mr. Lear!
cperrynaples 12 months ago
4 makes perfect sense! The people who use bumper stickers to make political statements are asking for trouble! BTW, I admire Lear because he stood up for his principles! Most people know that Archie was based on his father but many don't know that Maude was based on his wife!
LoveMETV22 cperrynaples 12 months ago
" 4 makes perfect sense!"
------------------------
Agree with Jimmie Walker's viewpoint. Plain, simple and to the point. About the only thing a bumper sticker is useful for regardless of the message it portrays is to cover a hole or rust ("jmo").
LoveMETV22 12 months ago
Enjoyed the interview Mr. Lear did with "E" when he turned 100. He looked very happy and youthful as well for someone who reached the century mark:

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?