'The best way to change people's minds'

 

 

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.” – Will Rogers

Rogers, born in 1879 near Claremore in what was then Oklahoma Territory, appears in my novel And The Wind Whispered as a 15-year-old.  He grew to become one of America’s most beloved writers and entertainers before his untimely death in a plane crash in 1935.    

 

During his life he wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns carried by more than 600 newspapers.  He rarely missed a story deadline, saying that among all the things he was doing – and that was a lot – his writing was at the top of his list.

 

In addition to his columns, he wrote 20 books, making him one of the nation’s leading writers in the first half of the 20^th century.  He also did a regular radio show and frequent radio commentaries.

 

All told, books, columns and commentaries combined, Rogers wrote more than 4 million words.   His columns alone reached a potential audience of 40 million readers, and all of his books were major sellers as his words spread wisdom and reflections that still remain timely a century later.  He said the best way to change people's minds was by setting a good example.

 

“People’s minds are changed through observation,” Rogers said, “not through argument.”