Andy Rooney

Andy Rooney

20 quotes

American radio and television journalist, commentator, and author Andy Rooney has a gift for language that makes complex ideas feel instantly clear. Beyond his weekly broadcast "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney", a part of the CBS News program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011, Andy Rooney proved equally skilled at capturing ideas in a sentence or two. Our collection holds 27 quotes from Andy Rooney, each offering a different angle on Time, Government, Truth, Men, and Computers. One standout: "If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it."

“I don't think the government is out to get me or help someone else get me but it wouldn't surprise me if they were out to sell me something or help someone else sell me something. I mean, why else would the Census Bureau want to know my telephone number?”

— Andy Rooney

Government

All Quotes by Andy Rooney

“People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe.”

— Andy Rooney

Truth

“The federal government has sponsored research that has produced a tomato that is perfect in every respect, except that you can't eat it. We should make every effort to make sure this disease, often referred to as 'progress', doesn't spread.”

— Andy Rooney

Government

“The average bright young man who is drafted hates the whole business because an army always tries to eliminate the individual differences in men.”

— Andy Rooney

Business

“All men are not created equal but should be treated as though they were under the law.”

— Andy Rooney

Men

“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”

— Andy Rooney

Teacher

“Making duplicate copies and computer printouts of things no one wanted even one of in the first place is giving America a new sense of purpose.”

— Andy Rooney

Technology

“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.”

— Andy Rooney

Pet

“I like ice hockey, but it's a frustrating game to watch. It's hard to keep your eyes on both the puck and the players and too much time passes between scoring in hockey. There are usually more fights than there are points.”

— Andy Rooney

Time

“I don't like food that's too carefully arranged it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting.”

— Andy Rooney

Food

“I don't think the government is out to get me or help someone else get me but it wouldn't surprise me if they were out to sell me something or help someone else sell me something. I mean, why else would the Census Bureau want to know my telephone number?”

— Andy Rooney

Government

“I hope all of you are going to fill out your census form when it comes in the mail next month. If you don't return the form the area you live in might get less government money and you wouldn't want that to happen, would you.”

— Andy Rooney

Government

“My own time is passing fast enough without some national game to help it along.”

— Andy Rooney

Time

“Death is a distant rumor to the young.”

— Andy Rooney

Death

“Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done.”

— Andy Rooney

Computers

“The closing of a door can bring blessed privacy and comfort - the opening, terror. Conversely, the closing of a door can be a sad and final thing - the opening a wonderfully joyous moment.”

— Andy Rooney

Sad

“Computers may save time but they sure waste a lot of paper. About 98 percent of everything printed out by a computer is garbage that no one ever reads.”

— Andy Rooney

Computers

“A writer's job is to tell the truth.”

— Andy Rooney

Truth

“Happiness depends more on how life strikes you than on what happens.”

— Andy Rooney

Happiness

“If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.”

— Andy Rooney

Smile

“The Super Bowl isn't for kids, I had a great time though and it was worth every nickel of it because by doing this lame piece about the game I can put it on my expense account.”

— Andy Rooney

Great