Though Betty White was a beacon of joy to her fans and those around her, not everyone was enamored with The Golden Girls actor’s sense of optimism.

“I’m sure my perpetually positive attitude is sickening to a lot of people,” White said during an interview with The Times. “I’ve seen it, but that beats the alternative of always seeing the negative. Heck, if you can’t get up happy in the morning, why get up at all? This is our seventh year in Golden Girls, and I’m just as excited about it as I was the first year.”

Indeed, the successful sitcom gave White more than a few reasons to smile.

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“I never try to be competitive with men, or women either for that matter,” White said during an interview with The Times. “That’s one of the lovely things about Golden Girls. The writers divide the action evenly among us. It’s wonderful that the four of us (Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty) have become and remain such good friends. I look forward to working with those idiots every week. I’ve never had so much fun on a show.”

After seven seasons, White hadn’t tired of the series. With such delightful co-stars and even better writing, who could blame her?

“It stays new and fresh because we all enjoy each other,” said White. “It helps that our writers keep coming up with terrific scripts. God willing, and if the ratings stay high, we’ll be doing the series for many years to come.”