America’s greatest humorist was born on Nov. 4, 1879. He was born in the Cherokee Nation in what is today Oklahoma. He was ¼ Cherokee. After some unsuccessful attempts at ranching and horse-breaking. He became an entertainer. He did rope trips. One day he was at a show in Madison Square Garden and a steer got loose and headed for the stands. Rogers roped it and the story made the newspapers. He was hired by a vaudeville show. After a while he began to add a monologue as he did his rope tricks. He talked mostly about current events. He famously led off with “all I know is what I read in the newspapers.” He was hired by the famous Ziegfeld Follies and became its most popular act. One night, he saw President Wilson in the audience and did an impromptu roast that had the President laughing. He went on to Hollywood and starred in 50 silent films and 21 talkies. He was the highest paid actor in the business. He wrote a syndicated newspaper column that ran in 4,000 papers and reached 40 million people. After Lindbergh’s flight, he became an aviation enthusiast. Befriending the famous aviator Wiley Post, he accompanied him on a flight across Alaska. He typed his column as Post flew. They crashed and both were killed. By the way, he never said “I never met a man I didn’t like.” The actual quote was: I joked about every prominent man in my lifetime, but I never met one I didn’t like. Here are my favorite jokes by him (keep in mind that he said these things more than 85 years ago!):
The short memories of American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.
Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.
There’s no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.
She was so ugly she could make a mule back away from an oat bin.
Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘Nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.
The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.
Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing – and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.
I don’t make jokes… I just watch the government and report the facts.
The more you read and observe about the Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other.
With Congress, every time they make a joke it’s a law, and every time they make a law it’s a joke.
A fanatic is always the fellow that is on the opposite side.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin’. The few who learn by observation.
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
Common sense ain’t common.
When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?
A fool and his money are soon elected.
I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat.
The problem ain’t what people know. It’s what people know that ain’t so that’s the problem.
There are men running governments who shouldn’t be allowed to play with matches.
It is better for someone to think you’re a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/59855/18-timeless-will-rogers-quotes-his-135th-birthday
https://www.just-one-liners.com/ppl/will-rogers/
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