80 Retirement Quotes for Embracing that Next Step in Life
Last updated: May 6, 2024 by Michelle
Who hasn't dreamed of all the things they'll do with their free time once they retire? I know I'm always thinking of the art classes I'll finally take, that book I'll finally write, and those moments I'll be able to spend out in nature just relaxing. But there's a social side to retirement too. We all yearn to be recognized and appreciated for all those accomplishments that have gotten us to this milestone.
Retirement is a huge change. While the retiree might be thrilled to leave the workforce, they might also be a little sad to let go of a beloved career. So, what do you say at a retirement speech? Maybe it's time to share the wisdom of others. Retirement quotes are a fantastic way of letting the retiree in your life know that you see them and respect where they've come from and where they're going.
To find the best quote on retirement, from the uplifting and inspirational, to some downright humorous one-liners, check out our collection below.
Retirement Quotes for Friend
Perhaps you don’t work with the retiree. Maybe you just have a friend who’s retiring. Celebrate them with these retirement quotes for a friend from a friend.
Stay young at heart, kind in spirit, and enjoy retirement living.
~ Danielle Duckery
Retirement: a time to enjoy all the things you never had time to do when you worked.
~ Catherine Pulisfer
Gainfully unemployed, very proud of it, too.
~ Charles Baxter
There is a whole new kind of life ahead, full of experiences just waiting to happen. Some call it retirement. I call it bliss.
~ Betty Sullivan
If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough.
~ Oprah Winfrey
Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to.
~ Susan Cain
But I’m really enjoying my retirement. I get to sleep in every day. I do crossword puzzles and eat cake.
~ Derek Landy
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
~ J. Lubbock
Something pretty... that's just the surface. People worry so much about aging, but you look younger if you don't worry about it.
~ Jeanne Moreau
We had made the exciting discovery that our lives do not need to be limited to past experiences. The future could be challenging and fulfilling as well.
~ Jimmy Carter
Retirement Quotes for a Family Member
Do you have a family member retiring? Perhaps it’s one of your parents, maybe even an aunt, uncle, or sibling. Wish them a happy retirement with these retirement quotes.
Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.
~ Author Unknown
Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren't going to get rid of me that way.
~ Betty White
Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.
~ Will Rogers
For many, retirement is a time for personal growth, which becomes the path to greater freedom.
~ Robert Delamontague
Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.
~ Jim Rohn
I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself.
~ Walt Mossberg
To be idle is sometimes an excellent way of being busy.
~ Thomas Carlyle
Retirement: That's when you return from work one day and say, "Hi, Honey, I'm home - forever"
~ Gene Perret
Retirement is when having a good time is your only job.
~ Anonymous
May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
~ Irish Blessing
Funny Retirement Quotes
Retirement doesn’t need to be serious business. You can use retirement quotes to make your retiree laugh as they embark on this new stage of life.
The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.
~ Abe Lemons
The best time to start thinking about your retirement is before the boss does.
~ Author Unknown
I’m not just retiring from the company, I’m also retiring from my stress, my commute, my alarm clock, and my iron.
~ Hartman Jule
A retired husband is often a wife's full-time job.
~ Ella Harris
There are some who start their retirement long before they stop working.
~ Robert Half
My retirement plan is to get thrown into a minimum security prison in Hawaii.
~ Julius Sharpe
What do you call a person who is happy on a Monday? Retired.
~ Author Unknown
When a man retires, his wife gets twice as much husband for half as much money. And vice versa.
~ Chi Chi Rodriguez
Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it to the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money.
~ Jonathan Clements
Retirement: It's nice to get out of the rat race, but you have to learn to get along with less cheese.
~ Gene Perret
Inspirational Retirement Quotes
Venturing into the unknown can be intimidating. Perhaps the retiree in your life needs some inspiration to help them along. Here are some inspirational retirement quotes to guide their journey.
Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.
~ Fred Rogers
Planning to retire? Before you do, find your hidden passion - do the thing that you have always wanted to do.
~ Harry Emerson Fosdick
Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.
~ C.S. Lewis
Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different.
~ Patrick Foley
I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself.
~ Walt Mossberg
Living each day as if it were your last doesn't mean your last day of retirement on a remote island. It means to live fully, authentically, and spontaneously with nothing being held back.
~ Jack Canfield
Retirement gives you the time literally to recreate yourself through a sport, game, or hobby that you always wanted to try or that you haven't done in years.
~ Steven Price
Life is your artwork. Create it! No one else can do it for you. You create it by seeing life, and living it to its fullest.
~ Max Ehrmann
The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things.
~ Susan Miller
You can never have the comeback if you don’t have the retirement.
~ Chael Sonnen
Retirement Quotes on Aging
Retirement typically hits us when we’re also contending with getting older. Let’s celebrate that with these retirement quotes on aging.
Don't act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been.
~ J. A. West
There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.
~ Sophia Loren
You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Retirement: When you stop lying about your age and start lying around the house.
~ Author Unknown
Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.
~ Albert Einstein
Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you.
~ Author Unknown
We are always the same age inside.
~ Gertrude Stein
What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.
~ Franz Kafka
Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better.
~ Ingrid Bergman
Retirement Quotes for Coworkers
Perhaps the retiree in your life is one of your coworkers. It can be hard realizing you won’t see them every day anymore, but you can celebrate their big moment with one of these retirement quotes.
Retirement, a time to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, where you want to do it and how you want to do it,
~ Catherine Pulsifer
Working people have a lot of bad habits, but the worst of these is work.
~ Clarence Darrow
Retire from work, but not from life.
~ M.K. Soni
I found out retirement means playing golf, or I don't know what the hell it means. But to me, retirement means doing what you have fun doing.
~ Dick Van Dyke
There’s one thing I always wanted to do before I quit … retire!
~ Groucho Marx
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
~ Steve Jobs
If you feel like there's something out there that you're supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it.
~ Wanda Sykes
The best part about being retired is never having to request time off.
~ Author Unknown
Happy days are here at last, the days of nine to five have passed, you've worked your life and paid your dues, now you can do just what you choose!
~ Anonymous
Retirement is wonderful if you have two essentials - much to live on and much to live for.
~ Author Unknown
Retirement Quotes from the Company
If you are a boss or company sending retirement wishes to an employee, your wording matters. You should be sincere but still professional. Perhaps these retirement quotes can help!
Congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for everything you have done for [Company name]. You will be deeply missed by all of us.
From everyone at [Company name], we'd like to wish you our sincerest congratulations on your retirement. We are grateful for all your hard work over the years. Your presence will be sorely missed.
A huge congratulations to you on your well-earned and well-deserved retirement. We're so happy for you, but also sad to see you go. May this next chapter of your life be filled with fun and relaxation.
Thank you for inspiring us at work every single day. It's not going to be the same here without you. Wishing you all the very best on your hard-earned retirement.
We have all learned so much from you over the years. Your hard work and great attitude have always been appreciated and will be deeply missed. Congratulations on your retirement.
A big congratulations to you on your retirement. What an impact you have made at [Company name] over the years. While you will be sorely missed, we are also happy for you, that you will be able to enjoy all your hobbies and spend more time with your beautiful family.
Congratulations on your retirement, from everyone at [Company name]. It's time to relax and celebrate all you have achieved over the years.
Thank you for always being the most helpful person in the office. What are we going to do without you!? While we are happy for you, [Company name] will not be the same. Wishing you all the very best for your retirement.
We will all miss your energy, enthusiasm, and most of all, your unfailing dedication to helping this place function a little better every day. Wishing you nothing but the best in your retirement.
Congratulations on your long-awaited retirement - we're so happy for you. Enjoy spending more time with your beautiful grandkids!
For more ideas on how to say goodbye in the workplace, check out our full collection of farewell messages.
Retirement Quotes for Teachers
Teachers play a special role in our and our kids’ lives. Wish them a happy retirement with these retirement quotes specifically for teachers.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
~ Maya Angelou
Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.
~ Andy Rooney
You can retire, but you can't retire from being great!
~ Anonymous
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
~ Henry Brooks Adams
Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.
~ Colleen Wilcox
Someone once said, "There are two good reasons to be a teacher: July and August." In fact, there are three good reasons to be a teacher. The third reason is retirement.
~ Author Unknown
The influence of a good teacher can never be erased
~ Author Unknown
Any of us who have benefited from learning have benefited from teachers.
~ Noah Benshea
It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad, and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.
~ Ernie Harwell
If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.
~ Paulo Coelho
Frequently Asked Questions: Retirement Quotes
Still have questions about the best ways to use these retirement quotes or wish someone a happy retirement? We are here to help. Hopefully we’ll answer all your questions below.
What is a good quote for retirement?
If you're looking for retirement quotes or funny one-liners, use something short and sweet like:
- Count your age by friends, not years. - John Lennon
- Retire from work, but not from life. - M.K. Soni
- You can never have the comeback if you don't have the retirement. - Author Unknown
What do you write in a retirement card?
Here are a few heartfelt retirement messages that are perfect for a card:
- We don't grow older, we grow ripe. - Pablo Picasso
- Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway. - Author Unknown
- Stay young at heart, kind in spirit, and enjoy retirement living. - Danielle Duckery
What do you say to coworkers when you retire?
Here are some things you can say to your coworkers when you’re the one retiring:
- I really enjoyed working with you. Thanks for everything.
- Thank you for being such a great colleague. I'll miss you.
- Thank you for making work an enjoyable place to be.
For more retirement quotes for cards, check out our complete collection of retirement greeting card messages on our Retirement Wishes and Farewell Messages pages.
Last-Minute Retirement Gifts
Here are a couple of last-minute retirement gift ideas to help you send off the retiree with your thanks and gratitude, and perhaps a few laughs too!
Printable Retirement Poster
Make the retiree a personalized poster that looks back over their career and celebrates all they have achieved. Personal and heartfelt, this gift is a great way to acknowledge their contribution and commitment over the years and send them on their way with gratitude (you can even throw in one of the retirement quotes we provided above).
Click here to personalize and print your poster
Printable Retirement Certificate
Play around with our free retirement certificate maker and present your coworker or family member with a funny certificate celebrating this milestone achievement.
More Retirement Ideas
I hope you enjoyed our collection of retirement quotes! We have more ideas on our Retirement Wishes and Card Messages and Farewell Messages pages.
If you're looking for a personalized retirement gift, check out our "retirement statistics" poster generator.
