Will Rogers Quote

"It will take America fifteen years of steady taking care
of our own business and letting everybody else's alone,
to get us back to where everybody speaks to us again."

by:	Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
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Categories:	America, Diplomacy, Happiness, Humility, Ignorance, Independence, Perseverance, Privacy, Respect, Responsibility, Restraint, Truth
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Trust a Cowboy....  -- J Carlton, Calgary
probably  -- Mike, Norwalk
I'd be curious to know that date and source of the quotation. While there is much to be said for diplomacy-bashing, it seems we are in the minor leagues compared to most countries. If this quote was anywhere between WWI or before WWII, it seems the terms should be reversed: AMERICA was dragged into war by European and other nations not minding their own business. Let's see... who has a better record of not meddling? Germany, France, England, Italy, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Serbia??? Oh! Maybe that nice Ottoman Empire. Well, modern Turkey wasn't so bad, unless you were a Kurd or Armenian. And I've forgotten the Russians, Chinese, and Japanese, too. It's seems people mostly speak to us when they come begging for us to get them out of a jam started by themselves and those other peaceful nations "minding their own business" -- which business often involves invading neighboring countries or distant colonies. We are not perfect, but I'm somewhat surprise at Will Rogers, who early and accurately predicted Musolini's and Hitler's "privacy" habits.  -- Cheshirebobcat, Chicago
In the true isolationist spirit of the times he lived in. He was one of the greatest humorists of all times. The national feeling after ww1 was stay out of it we don't want any more war. That proved to be ignorant since ww2 may have been avoided or at least less severe if we had been engaged from the beginning as well as prepared for it. That type of thinking is even more ignorant today when ignoring the intentions of the enemy could very well cost us an entire city or worse.  -- warrne, olathe
Will, yes, you are so right - ww2 was different, Hitler invaded other countries, and yes it took America two years to join in (shame on America) - Iraq we invaded and we are lucky few others have joined in. We have the mightiest army in the world and any country making war on us would be signing their death warrant. Intelligence is what we need not bombing villages and killing women and children. We spend more money on defense than the rest of the world put together - if we are to police the world it should be done in consort. In the great words of Albert Schweitzer “The awareness that we are all human beings together has become lost in war and through politics.”  -- RobertSRQ
WWII was substantially caused by America minding its own business and failing to talk to other countries. The go-go Republicans of the 1920's whose only interest was their own, the almighty dollar, and the bottom line, failed to ratify Wilsons League of Nations and also failed, as usual, at money management by causing the crash of 1929. (I say as usual because look what twenty years of Reagan and Bushes have done to our National Debt.) When WWII started the American Army was 19th in size behind Romania, when it ended we were the only man still standing and then the Democrat governed country led the fight for the United Nations which has kept WWIII from starting , so far at least. It is a value judgement as to what is and what is not our own business. Once we decide that value we had better mind it.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
it's going to take you a lot longer then that, here are some of my favorite quotes, War does not determine who is right - only who is left. ~Bertrand Russell "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder." ~Albert Einstein Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. ~Ernest Hemingway  -- M Gregoroff, Canada
I don't give a dam* who speaks to us if it has a molecule's effect on my freedom and security. They can keep their hot air and pompous bufoonery while enslaved. Those, like Rogers, [whose humor is otherwise worth listening to] who want to sing Kumbaaya with cowards and tyrants can just... well, you know.  -- Dougmcr8, Springfield, VA
I think the quote is even more appropriate today. Anyone who has travelled internationally over the last few years will tell you that Americans are not as well received as they used to be. I don't know if we will ever get it back. US policy is giving Americans a bad name. Who would have thought that the end of the Cold War would open the door for US imperialism? (I suppose everyone that was on the other side...)  -- E Archer, NYC      1
Most of the international antipathy for the USA is the result of America messing around in another nation's sandbox. We need to apply the time-honored principle "charity begins at home" before pouring money into another's pocket. When America has no poor, unemployed, uneducated, or hungry then, and only, then should we look elsewhere. What our actions say is: we can't fix our own problems but we'd like to mess up yours.  -- Brooke, Key West      1

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