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Cowboy John Paul Welch

Cowboy John Paul Welch’s family has a long history on the Waggoner Ranch. In fact, he’s a third generation cowboy, working alongside his son — that’s right, 4 generations of Welches have cowboyed on the Waggoner.

Portrait of Waggoner Ranch cowboy John Paul Welch by Jeremy Enlow

John Paul is also the man behind one of the most memorable quotes in the book.

“What makes a good cowboy? Pay attention. Keep your mouth shut, and keep your eyes open. Stay out of the way, and try to help when you can.” -John Paul Welch

Our followers have taken to that advice with a lot of enthusiasm, sharing the quote frequently… We think we could all stand to benefit from it, cowboys or not. John Paul went to college and came back home to the Waggoner Ranch, carrying on the family legacy. “Always as a kid, I’d been drawn to being a cowboy,” he says. “Solitude. Don’t have to deal with a whole lot of people. I like horses, being outside, not dealing with a whole lot of stress. Just the way of life.”

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