Daily Celebrations ~ Will Rogers, To Be Successful ~ November 4 ~ Ideas to motivate, educate, and inspire (original) (raw)

~� To Be SuccessfulEmbracing the Present

"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple: Know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing. " ~ Will Rogers

A man who knew all about being successful, humorist and Hollywood cowboy William Penn Adair Rogers (1879-1935) was born on this day.

An Oklahoman of Cherokee descent, the folk hero was known for his wit, satire, and maxims such as, "I never met a man I didn't like," or "Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects."

In the 1930s, Rogers' weekly radio show blended jokes with his skeptical look at the world. "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there," he observed wisely.

His political humor continues to be insightful today:

"It takes a great country to stand a thing like an election hitting it every four years," he remarked.

And: "The United States of America is the biggest business institution in the world, and they've only one vice president - and nobody's ever found anything for him to do."

He became famous as the "cowboy philosopher." A horseman, an expert roper, syndicated newspaper columnist and aviator, his clever insights, tinged with hope, made him beloved.

"We are here just for a spell and then pass on... So get a few laughs and do the best you can. Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead."

More Will ROGERS Quotations

Be successful: Love what you're doing.