57 Retirement Quotes

A collection of inspiring and humorous quotes celebrating the journey of retirement.

Retirement is the reward for years of hard work—now it's time to relax and enjoy every moment!

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Updated February 13, 2025, by Catherine Pulsifer


Retirement is not the end of the road; it’s the beginning of a brand-new journey! It’s a time to embrace freedom, explore new opportunities, and enjoy the rewards of years of hard work. Whether you're looking for words of wisdom, humor, or encouragement, this collection of retirement quotes offers inspiration for this exciting stage of life.

Share these quotes with a new retiree or reflect on them yourself. Let them serve as a reminder that retirement is not about slowing down—it’s about living life to the fullest!


  1. Don’t just retire. Don’t you dare check out and just retire. Why? Because people who retire die. Hyrum W. Smith, Purposeful Retirement
    Retirement Poems



  2. Although retirement means saying goodbye to the daily grind, your presence and influence will always remain in the halls of our workplace, reminding us of the difference you made.



  3. It’s a simple game to play: you work hard, you listen, you learn and you keep doing what they ask you to do. Retirement means the end of that routine. Riley Moynes, The Four Phases of Retirement
    Happy Retirement Poems



  4. retirement = world's longest coffee break.
  5. Retirement = world's longest coffee break. Retirement Saying



  6. Retirement is the perfect time to become the person you would like to be and do the things you have always wanted to do. Ernie Zelinski, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
    Retirement Wishes



  7. "And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln



  8. "Sooner or later I'm going to die, but I'm not going to retire." Margaret Mead



  9. As you ride off into retirement, know that your legacy at work will be cherished and missed by all of us who had the pleasure of working with you.
    Retirement Poems for Coworkers



  10. There will always be something for me to do, and I will always enjoy doing it. You don't make plans to retire from your passion in life. Mitch Anthony, The New Retirementality
    Work Quotes



  11. And yet the cares are many and the hours of toil are few; there is not time enough on earth for all I'd like to do Edgar A. Guest, The Gentle Gardener



  12. "Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them." Louis Armstrong
    Motivational Quotes



  13. Retirement is not about slowing down; it's about living more intentionally.
    This quote highlights the shift from a hectic work schedule to a more deliberate and purposeful lifestyle, it inspires retirees to savor each moment.



  14. In twilight years, a new chapter unfurls, retirement's call, a tapestry of dreams. Catherine Pulsifer, Senior's Day
    Senior Poems



  15. "Age is only a number, a cipher for the records. A man can't retire his experience. He must use it. Experience achieves more with less energy and time." Bernard M. Baruch



  16. The most compelling reason to practice retirement is that if you’ve identified those things you are excited about doing in retirement, why not bring as much of that as possible into your life now? Why wait? Larry Swedroe, Your Complete Guide to a Successful & Secure Retirement



  17. Retirement, a time to rediscover your passion.
  18. Retirement, a time to rediscover your passion. What would you work at if you didn't have to earn money! Catherine Pulsifer
    Poems About Time



  19. No more work stress, no more daily grind, retirement days, suit me just fine! Catherine Pulsifer, A Retired Senior
    Funny Retirement Poems



  20. "The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off." Abe Lemons



  21. If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles. Doug Larson



  22. "Retirement, a time to enjoy life! A time to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, how you want to do it." Catherine Pulsifer
    Retirement Poems for Teacher



  23. "Never regret growing old; not everyone has that privilege." Author Unknown



  24. I really wanted to retire and rest and spend more time with my children, my grandchildren and of course with my wife. Nelson Mandela



  25. In retirement, every day is an opportunity for adventure and discovery.
    This quote encourages retirees to approach each day with enthusiasm and open-mindedness, embracing the endless possibilities that come with newfound freedom.



  26. There is no losing in fishing. You either catch or you learn. Either way, it’s better than work Author Unknown
    Poems About Fishing



  27. June arrives with joy in sight, retirements galore, what a sight! Catherine Pulsifer, Month Of Love And Vows



  28. "There are some who start their retirement long before they stop working." Robert Half



  29. There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want
  30. "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want." Bill Watterson



  31. Embrace the freedom, let worries dissolve, new adventures await, no problems to solve. Catherine Pulsifer, Embrace The Freedom



  32. A lot of people stop short. They don't actually die but they say, 'Right I'm old, and I'm going to retire,' and then they dwindle into nothing. They go off to Florida and become jolly boring. Mary Wesley
    Inspirational Quotes by Women



  33. "I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul." Douglas MacArthur



  34. "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." Vince Lombardi



  35. "Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." Will Rogers



  36. "When some fellers decide to retire nobody knows the difference." Kin Hubbard



  37. We'll miss you, we won't lie for sure. Thank you for all that you've done, goodbye, dear teacher, retirement has begun. Catherine Pulsifer, Goodbye, Happy Retirement Teacher
    Goodbye Poems For A Teacher



  38. "Retired is being twice tired, I've thought. First tired of working, then tired of not." Richard Armour



  39. "We grow neither better nor worse as we grow old, but more like ourselves." May Lamberton Becker



  40. "A lot of our friends complain about their retirement. We tell 'em to get a life." Larry Laser



  41. "The question isn't at what age I want to retire, it's at what income." George Foreman



  42. "Retirement is not an end but a new beginning—embrace the freedom, joy, and endless possibilities ahead!"
    Poems About New Beginnings



  43. "Stress relief from work = retirement." C Pulsifer



  44. Retirement, no need to procrastinate, just the opportunity to spend your days as you want.
  45. "Retirement, no need to procrastinate, just the opportunity to spend your days as you want. Catherine Pulsifer



  46. "Never retire. Michelangelo was carving the Rondanini just before he died at eighty-nine. Verdi finished his opera Falstaff at eighty." W. Gifford-Jones



  47. Then suddenly it happened – your work days have expired, retirement is set to come with age, your routine is disrupted, you haven’t much to do, but life is offering you a brand-new page. Greta Zwaan, Time Belongs To God



  48. Retirement isn't an exit from work, it's an entrance into a life of fulfillment.
    This quote reminds us to see retirement as a chance to define success on our own terms and indulge in meaningful experiences.



  49. "When you retire, think and act as if you were still working; when you're still working, think and act a bit as if you were already retired." Author Unknown
    Relax Quotes



  50. "When men reach their sixties and retire, they go to pieces. Women go right on cooking." Gail Sheehy



  51. "Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." George Bernard Shaw



  52. "Preparation for old age should begin not later than one's teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement." Dwight L. Moody



  53. "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Sir Winston Churchill



  54. "Retirement is not a vicarious experience." Marian Yunghans



  55. "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." Carl W. Buechner



  56. "In every change is an opportunity." Hugh Wiley
    Poems About Life Changes



  57. "Turning 65 marks the start of a new adventure—retirement is a time for freedom, joy, and pursuing what makes you happy!"
    65th Birthday Poems



  58. "Thoughts often drift toward retirement where the dream is to do what you want, not what you have to do, or feel compelled to do. Byron Pulsifer, Mid-Life Ramblings



  59. Early retirement doesn't necessarily mean never working again; rather, it means being able to freely choose the amount, if any, and type of work to pursue. Dianne Nahirny, Stop Working . . . Start Living
    Life Choices Poems



  60. You can look ahead to choices inconceivable to your parents and grandparents - opportunities they could barely dream of. The one-size-fits-all formulas that served as retirement planning in their day are inadequate in ours. Life is too long for a single-minded pursuit of safety and material comforts. Marika Stone, Too Young to Retire: An Off-The Road Map to the Rest of Your Life



  61. When you are younger, retirement seems to be so far away, and it is possible that you procrastinate when it comes to creating the plan that you need to ensure you can enjoy your retirement with financial and emotional freedom. Joe Allen, Retirement: A No Fluff, Step-by-Step Guide to a Life of Financial and Emotional Freedom


Retirement isn’t the end of work; it’s the beginning of living life on your own terms!

More Quotes   for Encouragement and Motivation




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