Top 10 Retirement Quotes

Most of the time that we prepare for retirement, it’s too far ahead for us to see it clearly. Because of this, it’s hard to know what to expect. We can’t always be sure whether our planning will be enough. Sometimes, it seems easy for these doubts and worries to take a hold of us.

During these times, it’s helpful to look at the words of those who’ve experienced it and can speak on it with authority. These quotes bring levity, wisdom, and reassurance to those experiencing a moment of doubt. And, to those not experiencing that doubt, these quotes can still help us learn what to expect and that our efforts are worth it.

10 inspirational retirement quotes

Retirement is a time to enjoy being yourself—and, hopefully, all those retirement gifts you’ve received! If you’re patiently waiting for those retirement benefits to kick in decades from now, these quotes can help you keep your preparations top of mind. If you’re currently retired, then congratulations on your retirement! These quotes can still offer a bit of insight into how to enjoy your retirement.

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

For those of you who think relaxing is important for a happy retirement, you’re not alone. Finally having the time to do what you want, when you want—or to do nothing at all—can feel freeing. If this is your situation, or the one you hope to be in, then enjoy it for the rest of us!

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

As humans, we can fall into a lot of bad habits with how we spend our time. For some, leaving work might be an excuse to decide how they actually want to spend their time and fix some of those bad habits.

“Cessation of work is not accompanied by cessation of expenses.” — Cato

This is why we spend decades preparing. We look forward to saying goodbye to our full-time jobs, but life goes on. As long as we keep this in mind while we’re still working, we can make plans to retire on our own terms.

“Often when you are at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” — Fred Rogers

Yes, this one sounds like something you might find in a retirement card. However, it’s still helpful to keep in mind. We devote so much of our lives to work, it’s sometimes hard to understand what to do when it ends. Mr. Rogers always has positive advice—and a reminder that retiring isn’t just the end of work, but the start of a new chapter you get to write on your own.

“For many people, being asked to solve their own retirement savings problems is like being asked to build their own cars.” — Richard Thaler

Fortunately for most of us, we don’t need to build our own cars. It’s fortunate because, for many, cars are necessary tools for life. For those of us who don’t know how to build one, we’d be at a complete disadvantage. Retirement is just as important—it’s an entire segment of our lives. With retirement, we each have our own individual needs. That’s why putting in the work ourselves can be so important—it pays off in ways that mean so much to us as individuals.

But, hopefully, someone else will build the car for us.

“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

As stated above, expenses don’t end when work does—but neither does life! Retirement gives you the opportunity to enjoy the parts of it you haven’t had the chance to experience yet—there’s likely quite a bit!

“Always have a plan, and believe in it. Nothing happens by accident.” — Chuck Knox

If you have a specific vision for your retirement, it’s unlikely to happen by itself. You can only achieve the retirement of your dreams by working toward a goal. The good news is, you can do exactly that!

“The more your money works for you, the less you have to work for money.” — Idowu Koyenikan

Social security is only one way to save for retirement. As you prepare to retire, consider putting your money to work through 401(k)s and other investment options. It might surprise you how your money can grow over the long term!

“Retire from work, not from life.” — Sukant Ratnakar

Work is only one aspect of your life. There can be a lot to look forward to once work ends—you just have to be open to it!

“What do you call a person who is happy on Monday? Retired.” — Author Unknown

We couldn’t help but end on a funny retirement quote. Whether this quote rings true for everyone, it infers one piece of advice for retirees: don’t stop laughing at the suckers still working!