Ask the Old Guy:
Patrick Dorinson
“Never discount an old man in a profession where people tend to die young. This book has more wisdom in it than any four year degree.”
—CARL HIGBIE
Host of NEWSMAX Carl Higbie Frontline and retired Navy SEAL
About the Author
PATRICK DORINSON (aka the Common Sense Cowboy) has lived through and endured many lives over the course of his seven-plus decades on this planet as a maverick, a dreamer, a schemer and — most appropriately for the purposes of this bio — a communicator.
Dorinson is a longtime author, speaker, and Newsmax and Fox News contributor who, for nearly a decade, was host of his own The Cowboy Libertarian radio show on iHeart media’s Sacramento-based KFBK.
Although he takes pride in the fact that renowned conservative talk show stalwart Rush Limbaugh had his start at the same station, Dorinson takes further pride still in the fact that throughout his lengthy career, he has worked with equal passion and grit on both sides of the aisle. Along with, as he likes to say, “in the aisle itself.”
Aspiring toward being something of a modern-day Will Rogers (with a twinkly-eyed twist of Mark Twain), Dorinson transmits his thoughtful dispatches, continuing to tell the stories of diverse regular folks who do most of the heavy lifting in America today (and always have).
After hanging up his spurs as a seasoned veteran of the political strategy and media commentary battlefields (with the combat scars to prove it!) at 55, Dorinson turned in his tie and pinstriped suit for a cowboy hat and boots, following in the footsteps of his late cowgirl mother in learning and living the “cowboy way” with his horse Beamer by his side.
Twenty years later, Dorinson is proud to have worked on ranch crews, won buckles in cow work competitions and been a campfire teller of tales both tall and small alike.
These days, the Common Sense Cowboy hopes to never step foot inside the dreaded Beltway again . . . unless, of course, it’s to see a man about a horse.
The Common Sense Cowboy’s 12 Rules for Life
- The secret to a long life is getting up every day with a purpose. Young or old, working or retired, every- one needs a purpose, so find yours.
- Never betray trust, because trust is like virginity. Once lost, it’s impossible to get back.
- Everything breaks sooner or later. So, learn how to fix things.
- The measure of a man is when he does the right thing even when no one is watching. If you do the wrong thing, and nobody saw you do it, it is still wrong.
- Don’t waste time thinking about what might have been. Put the “might have beens” in the same trash can reserved for the “wouldas,” the “shouldas,” and the “couldas.” Then get busy with the “doin’.”
- A fancy education might gain you some knowledge, but only hard life experiences will gain you wisdom. A PhD won’t help you fix a flat tire.
- Be wary of the person who tells you they can get you a burger and fries for nothing. There is no free lunch.
- Your word is your bond, and your handshake seals the deal.
- If you shake hands with a politician, be sure to count your fingers when you let go to make sure you still have all five. (See above.)
- Don’t pray for things. The Almighty is not Amazon or Costco, and faith delivers salvation and comfort not packages.
- There is right, and there is wrong. There are no loopholes, and the only thing in between are excuses.
- The Good Lord gave us each a certain number of seconds, minutes, hours, and days, but He didn’t give us our expiration date. Use your time wisely, and live life to the fullest.