Did Will Rogers dislike women? I don’t think so.

In case you’re too young to remember who Will Rogers was, let me fill you in.

Us older folks know that, unlike the Mr. Rogers of more modern times, this Mr. Rogers was from an entirely different neighborhood. He was a cowboy, actor, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator.

The list goes on and on, but I’m limited here by a certain word count.

Rogers—never a man to be at a loss for words—quickly became as famous for his quotations as for his rope tricks. For example, he sagely said, “If your dog is fat, you need more exercise.”

Once, during WWI, a reporter asked him if he had any ideas on how to stop German submarines from sinking our ships. “Of course”, said ole Will, glancing through his whirling lariat. “Just drain the ocean.”

“But how?” asked the reporter.

“That’s up to the engineers. I’m just the idea man.”

Will’s most famous line was that he never met a man he didn’t like, proving once and for all he never ran into my old drill instructor.

Still, I imagine that quotation would have been trouble in today’s world. Right after he said that, the headlines would probably scream, “Will Hates Women!”

But I don’t think Will Rogers hated anybody. In fact, years ago, I decided to make one of his quotes my personal motto. “Do the best you can and don’t take life too serious.”

He also said, “Never miss a good chance to shut up,” so I will.

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1 Comment

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  1. Billy Chism says:

    Good column on Will Rogers.
    He had a lot of common sense. And was full of good humor.
    Kinda reminds me of someone named Emory Jones. Congrats on your new website.
    Pretty fancy.