Will Rogers Born in 1879 on a large
ranch in the Cherokee Nation near what later would become Oologah,
Oklahoma, Will Rogers was taught by a freed slave how to use a lasso as a
tool to work Texas Longhorn cattle on the family ranch. As he grew
older, Will Rogers' roping skills developed so special that he was listed
in the Guinness Book of Records for throwing three lassos at once: One
rope caught the running horse's neck, the other would hoop around the
rider and the third swooped up under the horse to loop all four legs.
His hard-earned skills
won him jobs trick roping in wild west shows and on the vaudeville stages
where, soon, he started telling small jokes. Will Rogers soon became
recognized as being a very informed and smart philosopher--telling the
truth in very simple words so that everyone could understand. Will
Rogers was the star of Broadway and 71 movies of the 1920s and 1930s; a
popular broadcaster; besides writing more than 4,000 syndicated newspaper
columns and befriending Presidents, Senators and Kings. He wrote six
books. In fact he published more than two million words. He was the first
big time radio commentator, was a guest at the White House and his
opinions were sought by the leaders of the world.
While a fast horse
thrilled Will Rogers, he also loved flying. It was on a flight to Alaska
in 1935 with a daring one-eyed Oklahoma pilot named Wiley Post that their
plane crashed and both men lost their lives.
"Even if you
are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
"Everybody
is ignorant, only at different subjects." "Get someone else to blow your
horn and the sound will carry twice as far." "Half our life is spent trying to
find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to
save." "Live so that you wouldn't mind
selling your pet parrot to the town gossip." "This thing of being a hero, about
the main thing to do is to know when to die. Prolonged life has ruined
more men than it ever made." "No man is great if he thinks he
is." And some Will Rogers Humor Don't squat with your
spurs on. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around. It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep. If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
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