231 Retirement Quotes to Celebrate Freedom and New Beginnings

Finding the perfect retirement quotes for a farewell card, a goodbye speech, or a party toast can be surprisingly hard. This collection of 231 verified retirement quotes covers every tone and every person: funny lines for coworkers, heartfelt words for parents and teachers, inspirational quotes for new beginnings, and famous one-liners from the names you know. Every quote below is a real, genuinely circulating line with an honest attribution — no invented wisdom, no fake famous names.

Retirement is one of life’s biggest transitions — the close of a long working chapter and the start of something entirely your own. According to Wikipedia, retirement marks the withdrawal from one’s position or occupation, but as these quotes show, most retirees describe it as a beginning rather than an end. Copy any line below straight into a card, speech, or social post.

Editor’s Picks

Our 11 favorite retirement quotes, hand-picked from the full 231 below.

Funny Retirement Quotes

The lighter side of leaving the 9-to-5 — perfect for cards and farewell speeches that need a laugh.

1. The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. — Abe Lemons
2. Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples. — George Burns
3. When a man retires, his wife gets twice as much husband for half as much money. — Chi Chi Rodriguez
4. When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a watch. — R.C. Sherriff
5. Except for an occasional heart attack I feel as young as I ever did. — Robert Benchley
6. A retired husband is often a wife’s full-time job. — Ella Harris
7. The company gave me an aptitude test and I found out the work I was best suited for was retirement. — Unknown
8. In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. — Mason Cooley
9. Retired is being twice tired, I’ve thought: first tired of working, then tired of not. — Richard Armour
10. I need to retire from retirement. — Sandra Day O’Connor
11. Retirement is the ugliest word in the language. — Ernest Hemingway
12. Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way. — Betty White
13. Retirement: That’s when you return from work one day and say, ‘Hi, Honey, I’m home — forever.’ — Gene Perret
14. Retirement is wonderful. It’s doing nothing without worrying about getting caught at it. — Gene Perret
15. Retirement means no pressure, no stress, no heartache… unless you play golf. — Gene Perret
16. Retirement: It’s nice to get out of the rat race, but you have to learn to get along with less cheese. — Gene Perret
17. Retirement is when you switch bosses — from the one who hired you to the one who married you. — Gene Perret
18. I enjoy waking up and not having to go to work. So I do it three or four times a day. — Gene Perret
19. Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money. — Jonathan Clements
20. There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want. — Bill Watterson
21. People are always asking me when I’m going to retire. Why should I? I’ve got it two ways. I’m still making movies, and I’m a senior citizen, so I can see myself at half price. — George Burns
22. Two weeks is about the ideal length of time to retire. — Alex Comfort
23. You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there. — George Burns
24. Retirement’s the most wonderful thing. I get to enjoy all the things I never stopped to notice on the way up. After an extraordinary life, it’s time to enjoy my retirement. — Patrick Macnee
25. I’m retired, but not expired. — Frank Moses, RED
26. I’m retired — goodbye tension, hello pension! — Stanley Hudson, The Office
27. Working people have a lot of bad habits, but the worst of these is work. — Clarence Darrow
28. I have never liked working. To me, a job is an invasion of privacy. — Danny McGoorty
29. The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things — like not setting an alarm. — Leslie Nielsen
30. My parents didn’t want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that’s the law. — Jerry Seinfeld
31. Retire? I’m going to stay in show business until I’m the only one left. — George F. Burns
32. If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. — Doug Larson
33. Sooner or later I’m going to die, but I’m not going to retire. — Margaret Mead
34. I advise you to go on living solely to enrage those who are paying your annuities. It is the only pleasure I have left. — Voltaire
35. Another good thing about being poor is that when you are seventy your children will not have declared you legally insane in order to gain control of your estate. — Woody Allen

Inspirational Retirement Quotes

Words to lift the spirit of anyone stepping into this brand-new chapter.

1. As in all successful ventures, the foundation of a good retirement is planning. — Earl Nightingale
2. Don’t count the days, make the days count. — Muhammad Ali
3. Retirement, a time to enjoy all the things you never had time to do when you worked. — Catherine Pulsifer
4. Planning to retire? Before you do, find your hidden passion – do the thing that you have always wanted to do. — Catherine Pulsifer
5. 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 Mannes Baruch
6. Retirement gives you the time to do the things you’ve always wanted but never had the time for. — Unknown
7. 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
8. Retirement: When you stop making a living and start making a life. — Unknown
9. Retirement is not a life without purpose; it is the ongoing purpose that provides meaning. — Unknown
10. Retirement isn’t the end of the road, but just a turn in the road. — Unknown
11. There are some who start their retirement long before they stop working. — Robert Half
12. The best time to start something new is now. — Unknown
13. To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level. — Bertrand Russell
14. Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination. — Fitzhugh Dodson
15. The worst of work nowadays is what happens to people when they cease to work. — G.K. Chesterton
16. Retirement may be looked upon either as a prolonged holiday or as a rejection, a being thrown on to the scrap-heap. — Simone de Beauvoir

Short Retirement Quotes

One-liners that fit a card, a text, or a toast.

1. Work is the curse of the drinking classes. — Oscar Wilde
2. Retirement: The pay sucks but the hours are great. — Unknown
3. Retirement is having nothing to do and someone always keeping you from it. — Robert Brault
4. To retire is to die. — Pablo Casals
5. God’s retirement plan is out of this world. — Unknown
6. Retirement: When you quit working just before your heart does. — Unknown
7. Youth is wasted on the young. — George Bernard Shaw
8. A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore. — Yogi Berra
9. Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty. — Harry Vardon
10. Retirement is a one-way trip to insignificance. — Mason Cooley
11. Cessation of work is not accompanied by cessation of expenses. — Cato
12. Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. — Attributed to John Lennon
13. Retirement kills more people than hard work ever did. — Malcolm Forbes
14. Lost time is never found again. — Benjamin Franklin
15. It gets late early out here. — Yogi Berra

Retirement Quotes for Coworkers

Say goodbye to the colleagues who made the workdays worth it.

1. Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to. — Harry Emerson Fosdick
2. Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different. — Patrick Foley
3. There is a whole new kind of life ahead, full of experiences just waiting to happen. — Betty Sullivan
4. Retirement is wonderful if you have two essentials — much to live on and much to live for. — Unknown
5. Don’t act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been. — J.A. West
6. The best time to start thinking about your retirement is before the boss does. — Unknown
7. For retirement brings repose, and repose allows a kindly judgment of all things. — John Sharp Williams
8. Retire from work, but not from life. — M.K. Soni
9. Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing. — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
10. I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves. — Bruce Grocott
11. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if retirement is a reward for a lifetime of hard work or a punishment. — Terri Guillemets
12. Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life. — Kitty O’Neill Collins
13. Every day is a gift. But some days come with naps. — Sandra Boynton
14. You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old. — George Burns
15. He who laughs last at the boss’s jokes probably isn’t far from retirement. — Unknown
16. It is better to live rich than to die rich. — Samuel Johnson
17. Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them. — Louis Armstrong
18. 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
19. The joy of retirement comes in those everyday pursuits that embrace the joy of life; to experience daily the freedom to invest one’s life-long knowledge for the betterment of others; and, to allocate time to pursuits that only received, in years of working, a fleeting moment. — Byron Pulsifer
20. We work all our lives so we can retire — so we can do what we want with our time — and the way we define or spend our time defines who we are and what we value. — Bruce Linton
21. For many, retirement is a time for personal growth, which becomes the path to greater freedom. — Robert Delamontague

Retirement Quotes for Parents

Honor Mom and Dad as they trade deadlines for well-earned rest.

1. Retirement is a time to enjoy all the things you never had time to do when you worked. — Catherine Pulsifer
2. Dad, we think you deserve this retirement more than anyone else we know. — Unknown
3. Mom, we’re looking forward to spending more time with you; thank you for all you did. — Unknown
4. Your hard work did not go unnoticed by us kids, and we’re so lucky to call you Dad. — Unknown
5. You’ve given us everything we’ve ever needed, and for that, we are honored and grateful. — Unknown
6. You can retire proudly knowing that you’ve earned respect from your family and your coworkers. — Unknown
7. They had you for the first half of life, we get you for the back half. — Unknown
8. After watching you work so hard for your entire life, it’s so exciting to know that you will finally be retiring. — Unknown
9. A hardworking parent breeds hardworking children, and you have been the best. Thank you for teaching me the value of hard work. — Unknown
10. Wishing you a retirement filled with happiness, health, and all the hobbies you never had time for. — Unknown
11. You have given so much to our family while working so hard. Now it is your turn to rest, travel, and enjoy life. — Unknown
12. Mom, your strength paved the way. Now enjoy the view. — Unknown
13. Proud of you, Dad. The next chapter is yours to write. — Unknown
14. Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. — Wade Boggs
15. Dad: A son’s first hero, a daughter’s first love. — Unknown
16. A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow. — Unknown

Retirement Quotes for Teachers

For the educators who shaped generations — now it’s their turn to learn leisure.

1. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. — Martin Luther King Jr.
2. You didn’t just teach lessons; you taught lives. — Unknown
3. The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. — Unknown
4. The influence of a great teacher can never be erased. — Unknown
5. Goodbye tense, hello pension! — Unknown
6. No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks. — Unknown
7. Teaching is the greatest act of optimism. — Colleen Wilcox
8. A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others. — Unknown
9. A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded. — Darwin D. Martin

Retirement Quotes About New Beginnings

Retirement is not an ending; it is the first page of a brand-new story.

1. Retirement is a new beginning, and that means closing the book on one chapter in order to begin the next. — Sid Miramontes
2. It’s never too late to be what you might have been. — Attributed to George Eliot
3. To retire is to begin to live in a new way. — Lailah Gifty Akita
4. I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself. — Walt Mossberg
5. Retirement, I feel, means a new adventure in living – not a stopping. — Anna Marion Hilliard
6. Don’t cry because it’s over – smile because it happened. — Dr. Seuss
7. On the positive side, retirement can be an opportunity to enjoy life in a new way, the right to stop work and do the 1,001 things you’ve always wanted to do but never had time for, and a chance to give yourself over to new challenges and adventures. — Sara Yogev
8. As your life changes, it takes time to recalibrate, to find your values again. You might also find that retirement is the time when you stretch out and find your potential. — Sid Miramontes
9. A thriving new beginning can be and should be a time for amazing engagement, growth, connections, contributions, and amazing possibilities. — Lee M. Brower
10. What I love best in life is new starts. — Karl Lagerfeld
11. Retirement is the perfect time to start a new adventure. — Unknown
12. Retirement is not the end, it’s a new beginning. — Unknown
13. Life begins at retirement. — Unknown
14. 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
15. Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you’re supposed to. — Susan Cain
16. The beginning is always today. — Mary Shelley
17. Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings. — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
18. It ain’t over till it’s over. — Yogi Berra
19. The future ain’t what it used to be. — Yogi Berra

Famous Retirement Quotes

The most-quoted lines on retirement, from the famous names who said them best.

1. The question isn’t at what age I want to retire, it’s at what income. — George Foreman
2. I will not retire while I’ve still got my legs and my make-up box. — Bette Davis
3. When men reach their sixties and retire, they go to pieces. Women go right on cooking. — Gail Sheehy
4. There’s one thing I always wanted to do before I quit… retire! — Groucho Marx
5. To me, retirement means doing what you have fun doing. — Dick Van Dyke
6. And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. — Attributed to Abraham Lincoln
7. Don’t think of retiring from the world until the world will be sorry that you retire. — Samuel Johnson
8. Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. — Lou Gehrig
9. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. — Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
10. I figure life’s a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it. — Jack Dawson, Titanic
11. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary. — John Keating, Dead Poets Society
12. Just keep swimming. — Dory, Finding Nemo
13. May the Force be with you. — Star Wars
14. Not all those who wander are lost. — Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
15. Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. — Doc Brown, Back to the Future
16. There’s no place like home. — Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz
17. It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone. — Andy Rooney
18. It is time I stepped aside for a less experienced and less able man. — Scott Elledge
19. There’s no retirement for an artist, it’s your way of living so there’s no end to it. — Henry Moore

Retirement Quotes for Friends

Celebrate your friend’s freedom with words worth sharing.

1. Coworkers by chance, friends by choice. I will miss you dearly. — Unknown
2. You made the tough days easier and the good days better. Thank you for everything. — Unknown
3. The office won’t be the same without your laughter. Shine on! — Unknown
4. It’s hard to say goodbye to someone who became family. Don’t be a stranger. — Unknown
5. Happy retirement, my friend! Here’s to lazy mornings, endless afternoons, and lots of laughter. — Unknown
6. Congratulations! You’ve officially been promoted to full-time relaxation. — Unknown
7. Remember all the plans we made? It’s officially time to start making them happen! Cheers to new beginnings and endless weekends! — Unknown
8. Here’s to you, my friend! May your retirement be the adventure you’ve always dreamed of. Let the good times roll! — Unknown
9. Congratulations on a job well done! Your dedication and hard work are inspiring. Happy retirement! — Unknown
10. Look not at what’s behind you, but the great adventures still ahead of you. — Unknown
11. Call me from the beach every now and again. Don’t forget to keep in touch! — Unknown
12. No more alarm clocks, meetings, or deadlines—just naps and snacks. Enjoy it! — Unknown
13. Our loss is the world’s gain. Go enjoy your life! — Unknown

Retirement Quotes for Husband and Wife

For the partner starting this adventure — and the one cheering them on.

1. Retirement; That’s when you return from work one day and say, ‘Hi, Honey, I’m home,’ forever. — Gene Perret
2. Now we get to live life the way we want to. I am excited to enjoy this new life of ours. — Unknown
3. Wishing my hardworking husband a very happy retirement. — Unknown
4. You may be retiring, but my love for you will never retire. — Unknown
5. Congratulations to my beloved wife on your retirement. I wish you years of happiness and freedom from the stress of work. — Unknown
6. Happy retirement, my darling. I am so pleased for you and looking forward to all the time we’re going to have to spend together. — Unknown
7. Every sunrise of our life together, you’ve worked with dedication. Now it’s time to enjoy every sunset. Happy retirement, my love. — Unknown
8. Retirement is not the end; it’s the beginning of endless opportunities. Let’s embrace them together! — Unknown
9. Your retirement will bring you less stress and all the happiness you deserve! Welcome to the rest of our lives! — Unknown
10. When you retire, you switch bosses — from the one who hired you to the one who married you. — Unknown
11. Whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same. — Emily Brontë
12. I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. — Roy Croft

Retirement Quotes About Freedom and Leisure

No alarm clocks, no meetings — just time, finally on your side.

1. Retirement means doing what you want to do, when you want to do it, where you want to do it. — Catherine Pulsifer
2. Retirement means doing whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it. — Unknown
3. Retirement means doing whatever I want to do. It means choice. — Dianne Nahirny
4. Retirement is when having a good time is your only job. — Unknown
5. Retirement is the only time in your life when time no longer equals money. — Unknown
6. The best part about retirement is never having to ask for time off. — Unknown
7. Just think: every day is Saturday. — Unknown
8. Goodbye tension, hello pension! — Unknown
9. What do you call someone who’s happy on Mondays? Retired! — Unknown
10. You have to put off being young until you can retire. — Unknown
11. Now I wake up with nothing to do – and go to bed having only done half of it. — Unknown
12. I worked my whole life for this nap. — Unknown
13. 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
14. The joys of retirement can be enjoyed here and now. You can pursue your passions, live your dreams and enjoy life while you are still working. — Rand Bennett
15. Retirement is the time when you can experience true freedom – to do what you want, when you want, and how you want. — Unknown
16. Retirement is when you finally stop doing whatever the boss tells you to do and start doing what your heart tells you to do. — Unknown
17. Retirement is the world’s longest coffee break. — Unknown

Retirement Quotes for Bosses

Farewell lines for the leader who earned this rest.

1. Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge. — Simon Sinek
2. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. — Oprah Winfrey
3. The influence of a great mentor can never be erased. — Attributed to Maya Angelou
4. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. — John F. Kennedy
5. The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and will to carry on. — Walter Lippmann
6. The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army or in an office. — Dwight D. Eisenhower
7. Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. — Harold Geneen
8. It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse. — Adlai Stevenson
9. The price of greatness is responsibility. — Winston Churchill
10. I praise loudly, I blame softly. — Catherine the Great

Retirement Quotes About Aging Gracefully

Growing older beats the alternative — especially in retirement.

1. We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing. — George Bernard Shaw
2. 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
3. Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength. — Betty Friedan
4. Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been. — David Bowie
5. The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected. — Robert Frost
6. To keep the heart unwrinkled – to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent – that is to triumph over old age. — Thomas Bailey Aldrich
7. For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned, it is the season of harvest. — The Talmud
8. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? — Satchel Paige
9. Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better. — Ingrid Bergman
10. We are always the same age inside. — Gertrude Stein
11. Aging has a wonderful beauty, and we should have respect for that. — Eartha Kitt
12. It’s not how old you are. It’s how you are old. — Jules Renard
13. Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special and precious, for you shall only live it once. — Louise Hay
14. Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you. — Unknown

Happy Retirement Quotes

Warm, celebratory lines for cards, banners, and party toasts.

1. Retirement is wonderful if you have two essentials: much to live on and much to live for. — Unknown
2. Retirement: When you stop living at work and begin working at living. — Gene Perret
3. You can only be young once. But you can always be immature in retirement. — Dave Barry
4. Retirement may be an ending, a closing, but it is also a new beginning. — Catherine Pulsifer
5. How do you know it’s time to retire? It’s when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. — Unknown
6. Congratulations on your retirement! Wishing you endless days of relaxation and happiness. — Unknown
7. You can be young without money but you can’t be old without it. — Tennessee Williams
8. The best is yet to come! — Carolyn Leigh and Cy Coleman
9. Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible! — Attributed to Audrey Hepburn
10. A man is known by the company that keeps him on after retirement age. — Unknown
11. The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or daytime television. — Unknown
12. Golf is played by twenty million mature American men whose wives think they are out having fun. — Jim Bishop
13. Old age ain’t no place for sissies. — Bette Davis
14. Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. — Attributed to Mark Twain
15. You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life. — Coco Chanel

How to Use These Retirement Quotes

• Retirement cards: pair a funny quote with a heartfelt handwritten note for balance.
• Farewell speeches: open with a laugh (the Abe Lemons classic), close with inspiration (Fosdick or Ernie Harwell).
• Party toasts and banners: short one-liners from the Short section fit slides, cakes, and banners.
• Social media tributes: tag the retiree with a favorite line and a photo from the good old days.
• Scrapbooks and memory books: collect signatures around a meaningful quote for a keepsake gift.

More Retirement Quotes to Explore

Keep the celebration going with more collections from CrownQuote:

• retirement wishes for a happy next chapter
• thank you quotes for farewell speeches
• teacher appreciation quotes
• inspirational quotes for work
• friendship quotes to share with old colleagues
• encouragement messages for new beginnings
• daily affirmations for a fresh routine
• healing quotes for life transitions
• money quotes about financial freedom
• motivational quotes for success in the next chapter
• new year captions for fresh starts
• christmas quotes for the holiday season
• wedding quotes for celebrating love

Frequently Asked Questions

How many retirement quotes are in this collection?

This collection contains 231 verified retirement quotes across 14 sections — funny, inspirational, short, and quotes for coworkers, parents, teachers, friends, bosses, and more. Every quote is a real, genuinely circulating line with an honest attribution.

What should I write in a retirement card for a coworker?

Start with a funny line like Abe Lemons’ classic about never getting a day off, then add a sincere sentence about what you admired in them. Browse the Coworkers and Funny sections above for ready-to-copy lines.

Who said “The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off”?

That famous line is by Abe Lemons, the beloved American college basketball coach known for his wit. It is one of the most-quoted retirement lines of all time.

What is a good short retirement quote for a speech?

Short favorites include M.K. Soni’s “Retire from work, but not from life,” J.A. West’s “Don’t act your age in retirement,” and Harry Emerson Fosdick’s “Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.”