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Lucille BallTo watch Lucille Ball perform was to love her -- her big gorgeous eyes and her hysterical over-the-top comedic antics. And today commemorates her 100th birthday!

And why else do we love her? Well, Ball was a bit of a rebel spirit and a pioneer in her day, eloping with Cuban-born Desi Arnaz in 1940, becoming the first woman to run a major Hollywood studio (Desilu), being one of the first actresses allowed to show her pregnancy on TV, having her first child at almost 40 years old, and later going through a very public Hollywood divorce from Arnaz. She was even registered as a Communist!

Oh, how I love a woman who follows her own heart -- even if it leads her to the less popular of places.

So let's celebrate Lucille Ball today by looking at 20 wonderful quotes and life lessons from the wise and much-loved comedienne.

20 Lucille Ball Quotes on Her 100th Birthday

1. I'm not funny. What I am is brave.
2. I don't do T & A very well because I haven't got much of either.
3. Ability is of little account without opportunity.
4. I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can.
5. I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
6. (On meeting Desi Arnaz for the first time): It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes.
7. How I Love Lucy was born? We decided that instead of divorce lawyers profiting from our mistakes, we'd profit from them.
8. I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.
9. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.
10. It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.
11. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. 
12. Women's lib?... Oh, I'm afraid it doesn't interest me one bit. I've been so liberated it hurts.
13. The best time is when you're working and you're happy.
14. Desi was the great love of my life. I will miss him until the day I die. But I don`t regret divorcing him.
15. In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.
16. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.
17. You see much more of your children once they leave home.
18. The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
19. Life's a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!
20. I'm happy that I have brought laughter because I have been shown by many the value of it in so many lives, in so many ways.

One of my all-time favorite I Love Lucy moments:

What was your favorite Lucille Ball moment?

Image via Art.com