Will Rogers was an amazingly creative, accomplished, adventurous and witty bloke born on an Oklahoma ranch in 1879. He made 71 films, numerous books have been written about his life, and his quotes are legendary. These pithy comments are as relevant today as they were a century ago. Interestingly, many of his most famous quotes point to the typical common-sense real-life observations of someone raised in the country. For example:
‘There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.’
‘Diplomacy is the art of saying “nice doggie” until you can find a rock.’
‘The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t be a farmer.’
‘The fellow that can only see a week ahead is always the popular fellow, for he is looking with the crowd. But the one that can see years ahead, he has a telescope but he can’t make anybody believe that he has it.’
‘You’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes because that’s where the fruit is.’
‘Buy land. They ain’t making any more of the stuff.’
‘The time to save is now. When a dog gets a bone, he doesn’t go out and make a down payment on a bigger bone. He buries the one he’s got.’
Will Rogers
Tragically, Will Rogers died in a plane crash when only in his mid 50s (1935).