Will Rogers
Overview
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s.

Known as Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

's favorite son, Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation (19th century)
The Cherokee Nation of the 19th century —an historic entity —was a legal, autonomous, tribal government in North America existing from 1794–1906. Often referred to simply as The Nation by its inhabitants, it should not be confused with what is known today as the "modern" Cherokee Nation...

 family in Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...

 (now part of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...

 (50 silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

s and 21 "talkies"), wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....

 newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure.
Quotations

If you ever injected truth into politics you have no politics.

Weekly Article 31 (15 July 1923)

Well, all I know is what I read in the papers.

The New York Times (30 September 1923) This became a remark Rogers often used in his public appearances.

You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

The New York Times (31 August 1924)

Heroing is one of the shortest-lived professions there is.

The New York Times (15 February 1925)

I bet you if I had met him and had a chat with him, I would have found him a very interesting and human fellow, for I never yet met a man that I didn't like.

On Leon Trotsky Saturday Evening Post (6 November 1926)

We can make this thing into a Party, instead of a Memory.

Letter to Al Smith regarding the Democratic party (19 January 1929)

You can't say that civilization don't advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way.

The New York Times (23 December 1929)

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

The New York Times (29 April 1930)

A comedian can only last till he either takes himself serious or his audience takes him serious.

Syndicated newspaper article rejecting the idea that he run for President of the United States (28 June 1931)

I not only "don't choose to run" but I don't even want to leave a loophole in case I am drafted, so I won't "choose". I will say "won't run" no matter how bad the country will need a comedian by that time.

Syndicated newspaper article (28 June 1931)

 
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