The Best Inspirational Retirement Quotes

Are you looking for some retirement card inspiration for your co-worker? We’ve curated a collection of retirement quotes and sayings that perfectly match their unique personality. The concept of “retirement” resonates differently with each individual. For some, it’s the eagerly anticipated moment when that Social Security or pension check arrives, paving the way for lakeside retreats or mountain adventures. Others eagerly await the chance to embrace life on their terms, relishing the freedom to explore the world.

And then some can’t fathom a life without work and might retire only when their time ends. As Jean Chatzky aptly puts it, “Whether it’s fly-fishing, embarking on a camper journey to the Everglades, or simply traveling the world, everyone harbors a retirement dream.” Dive into these retirement quotes to commemorate any retiree’s unique journey.

Inspirational Retirement Quotes

1. Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
Fred Rogers

2. Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.
Unknown

3. 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

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

5. For many, retirement is a time for personal growth, which becomes the path to greater freedom.
Robert Delamontague

6. Retirement is the only time in your life when time no longer equals money.
Unknown

7. Retire from your job, but never retire your mind.
Unknown

8. And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
braham Lincoln

9. You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.
C.S. Lewis

10. The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things.
Susan Miller

11. Retire from work, but not from life.
M.K. Soni

12. Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.
Harry Emerson Fosdick

13. Retirement is wonderful if you have two essentials – much to live on and much to live for.
Unknown

14. I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself.
Walt Mossberg

Funny Retirement Quotes

Retirement is a significant life milestone marked by years of dedication to one’s career. It’s a moment to celebrate, and injecting humor can make it even more enjoyable. Retirement comes with the freedom to pursue new experiences, quality time with loved ones, and a leisurely lifestyle. So, while we won’t directly mention the “funny retirement quote,” remember that a good laugh can enhance this exciting phase of life.

15. When a man retires, his wife gets twice as much husband for half as much money.
Chi Chi Rodriguez

16. What do you call a person who is happy on a Monday? Retired.
Unknown

17. My father calls acting ‘a state of permanent retirement with short spurts of work.’
Chris Pine

18. Retirement: It’s nice to get out of the rat race, but you have to learn to get along with less cheese.
Gene Perret

19. I enjoy waking up and not having to go to work. So I do it three or four times a day.
Gene Perret

20. Retirement: That’s when you return from work one day and say, ‘Hi, Honey, I’m home—forever.’
Gene Perret

21. He who laughs last at the boss’s jokes probably isn’t far from retirement.
Unknown

22. Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way.
Betty White

23. When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a watch.
R.C. Sheriff

24. A retired husband is often a wife’s full-time job.
Ella Harris

25. The best time to start thinking about your retirement is before the boss does.
Unknown

26. Retirement is wonderful. It’s doing nothing without worrying about getting caught at it.
Gene Perret

Retirement Quotes for Teachers

As the school year ends, some prepare for summer while others prepare for retirement. Let’s celebrate our retiring teachers with inspiring quotes that can be printed, shared, or included in cards. Thank you for your dedication and ongoing contributions to education.

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

28. You have to put off being young until you can retire.
Unknown

29. Retirement is the beginning of the time when you can sit back and give advice to others, even though you never followed it in your own life.
Unknown

30. Old teachers never die; they just grade away!
Unknown

31. What do you call a person who is happy on Monday? Retired!
Unknown

32. People appreciate and never forget that helping hand especially when times are tough.
Catherine Pulsifer

33. Nothing exalts the soul or gives it a sheer sense of buoyancy and victory so much as being used to change the lives of other people.
E. Stanley Jones

34. The more I help others to succeed, the more I succeed.
Ray Kroc

35. A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.
Nelson Mandela

36. The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.
Albert Schweitzer

37. Service doesn’t have to be big and grandiose to be meaningful and make a difference.
Cheryl Esplin

38. Cheryl EsplinHelp the life of one person and you can help the community.
Steven Sawalich

39. Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
Desmond Tutu

40. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
Anne Frank

Nurse Retirement Quotes

As nurses retire, let’s celebrate their dedicated service with these quotes: “Nursing is a calling, and you’ve answered it with grace.” “Your legacy of care will forever inspire.”

41. Retirement is wonderful if you have two essentials – much to live on and much to live for.
Unknown

42. What do you call a person who is happy on a Monday? Retired.
Anonymous

43. 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

44. Retirement only means it’s time for a new adventure
Anonymous

45. Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
Fred Rogers

46. 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

47. A retired nurse never stops nurturing and caring
Anonymous

48. Retirement is not a life without purpose; it is the ongoing purpose that provides meaningfulness.
Robert Rivers

49. Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different.
Patrick Foley

50. Retirement summed up: goodbye tension, hello pension.
Anonymous

Military Retirement Quotes

Honoring military retirees is vital; their dedication and courage deserve recognition. If you know someone retiring from the armed forces, these retirement quotes are perfect for cards or congratulations.

51. How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.
Maya Angelou

52. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John F. Kennedy

53.Land of the free because of the brave.
Annonymous

54. The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.
Judd Gregg

55. Never was so much owed by so many to so few.
Winston Churchill

56. What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments but what is woven into the hearts of others.
Pericles

57. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave …
Patrick Henry

58. The number of medals on an officer’s breast varies in inverse proportion to the square of the distance of his duties from the front line
Charles Edward Montague

59. Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Ronald Reagan