Top 30 Jane Pauley Quotes

Your 40s are a major trough. About the age of 50, feelings of satisfaction begin to rebound and keep rising into your 50s, 60s and 70s, with health being a major factor.

I came back to work when my children were two months old. At that early age, they seem to have little awareness of anybody but their Raggedy Ann dolls, so it wasn’t a matter of them missing me. I was missing them.

My father was so good-natured and had such a happy disposition. I’ve always confused him with Jimmy Stewart. So, think Jimmy Stewart. That’s my dad.

I’m very sensitive about being held up as some sort of example. I don’t consider myself any sort of role model at all. I have great advantages over many other working women, and my schedule allows me more time with my kids than many working women have.

My parents had an experience of life that is as opposite to mine as you can imagine.

I’ve always had a lot of ambivalence about fame and celebrity.

My son has been known to throw a book at the television set when he called for me to come play and I was obviously busy in the box. But I’m told that children of television performers grow up thinking that all mommies or daddies work on TV and that it’s no big deal.

My guess is that people look at me and project their own values – importance of family, ego is healthy but not the biggest thing. I don’t know. I can’t explain my popularity.

I am not one of the great journalists of my time.

No baby boomer has a completely original idea, but after 13 years on ‘Today’ and another 11 on ‘Dateline,’ almost 30 years total at NBC, I felt the urge to find out what was ‘behind the camera.’ I had the feeling there was ‘something more,’ though ‘more’ might be less.

Many people come to reinvention when life changes around them, but people come in all different stripes. I’m oriented to change.

Well, every now and then I would hear the preposterous notion that that Jane Pauley sounds like Barbara Walters. Like I could if I tried?

Kids learn more from example than from anything you say; I’m convinced they learn very early not to hear anything you say, but to watch what you do.

It’s like if people don’t see you on TV every day, they think you’re in cryogenics somewhere.

This may sound funny, but as much as the ‘Today’ show matured me, it also was something of a cocoon. I’d been happy there. I never went into the boss’s office and pounded my fist on the desk, saying, ‘Give me more money! Give me a prime-time show!’

I had had some months of depression. Not serious enough to keep me from work. So, I guess you’d call that a mild depression.

I think my children know that Mother’s priority is to be with them first. But I don’t think it has to be an either/or situation. Work is very important to me, and it wouldn’t be in the best interest of my children for me to stay home seven days a week.

AARP knows the future is bright for a generation that’s going to remain healthy and vital for 10, 20, 30, 40 more years. AARP has the information and resources people need throughout their process of reinvention.

‘Your Life Calling’ is the first thing in my long career I’ve ever actually invented. It is my entrepreneurial debut.

Because our generation has waited so long to have babies, we feel we’ve ‘discovered’ something that women have been doing for thousands of years. I have no illusions that I will be in the same situation as the average working mother. I’m not trying to prove anything – I just want to have kids.

What I’ve discovered is that my kids weren’t watching the ‘Today’ show… they watch ‘Gumby’ and ‘Bugs Bunny!’

New Yorkers, by reputation, are fast-talking, assertive and easily annoyed; I fit right in.

Twins are a high-risk pregnancy, by definition. The quieter I am, the longer I can keep them growing.

I have a very good sense of tone, and it’s possible to talk about very personal things and maintain a level of dignity and even privacy – to go to the place, to talk about it, but not get icky.

My parents were terrific – mother was a church organist and my father was probably the most respected person in our church outside of the minister and sometimes maybe that much. The neighbors all called him – a gentleman.

Most of us in the baby-boom generation were raised by full-time mothers. Even as recently as 14 years ago, 6 out of 10 mothers with babies were staying at home. Today that is totally reversed. Does that mean we love our children less than our mothers loved us? No, but it certainly causes a lot of guilt trips.

A diagnosis is burden enough without being burdened by secrecy and shame.

I probably am more shy than people realize. But I’m shy when I leave a studio and I am just myself.

I do like some of the perks, like being, recognized, especially if I’ve had my makeup done and I’m going to be photographed and people admire me. Who wouldn’t like that?

When I grew up, there were common patterns to people’s lives. Now everybody is just making it up as they go along.