There’s a strange pressure that comes with writing a retirement message.
You want to say something that feels thoughtful. But not forced.
Warm. But not cheesy.
Memorable. But not like you tried too hard.
Especially if the retiree is your manager, mentor, or someone you truly respect—
the words matter. You want them to land.
But most retirement quotes online? Generic at best:
✍️ “Wishing you the best in your next chapter.”
💐 “Congratulations on your retirement!”
💻 “It won’t be the same without you.”
That’s not how you want to be remembered.
When it’s hard to sound sincere and smart, the perfect quote does both for you.
In this guide, we’ve curated 85 inspirational retirement quotes that help you speak with heart, humor, and timeless wisdom.
Let’s find one that sounds like you.
In this guide, you’ll find 85 inspirational retirement quotes organized by tone, audience, and message—so you can sound like you meant it (because you do):
Motivational Retirement Quotes
Heartfelt Retirement Quotes
Funny Retirement Quotes
Short & Powerful Retirement Quotes
Retirement Quotes for a Friend
Retirement Quotes for a Boss or Mentor
Retirement Quotes from Movies & TV
Browse by tone, pick the quote that fits, and let your message rise above the usual.
How to Turn Your Inspiring Retirement Quote Into a Lifetime Keepsake Message
Instead of just choosing a great quote, imagine adding to it real messages from coworkers, friends, and family captured in a meaningful video montage.
Tribute, a group video montage filled with favorite retirement quotes, warm memories, and personal messages, is a gift they’ll replay for years.
💬 An inspirational retirement quote becomes unforgettable when it’s echoed by the people they care about most.
Start a Retirement Tribute video today and turn your favorite quote into a memory they can relive for a lifetime.
Pro tip:
Use Tribute to collect everyone’s messages—whether it’s a motivational quote, a funny line, or a heartfelt toast—and deliver it as a polished video montage or Tribute Photo & Video Book.
It’s the easiest way to turn retirement sentiments into a living keepsake.
Deliver their retirement Tribute in a Tribute Photo & Video Book. It’s a gift they can open, watch, and cherish with ease.
Motivational Retirement Quotes
Who it’s for:
The forward-facing retiree who sees this moment not as an ending—but as the launchpad for everything they’ve postponed, dreamed of, or worked toward.
🧭 “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker
🌅 “Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.” — Vicki Robin
🎈 “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis
🌍 “Don’t act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been.” — J.A. West
🚀 “Retirement is not the end of your life, it’s the beginning of a new one.” — Sid Miramontes
📖 “Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick
⛵ “Retire from work, but not from life.” — M.K. Soni
💡 “Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” — Betty Friedan
🎯 “Retirement: That’s when you return from work one day and say, ‘Hi, Honey, I’m home—forever.’” — Gene Perret
🌤️ “The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things.” — Susan Miller
🛤️ “The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.” — Abe Lemons
🏞️ “There is a whole new kind of life ahead, full of experiences just waiting to happen.” — Betty Sullivan
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
Heartwarming Retirement Quotes
Who it’s for:
Someone reflecting on the meaning of their career—and the lives touched along the way. These quotes add warmth, depth, and appreciation to any farewell.
🌸 “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
🕯️ “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
💐 “The influence of a good person can never be erased.” — Unknown
📚 “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Brooks Adams
🌞 “As you retire, know that you have made a lasting difference in the lives of so many.” — Catherine Pulsifer
❤️ “Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” — Michelle Obama
🌷 “Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.” — Vicki Robin
🫶 “Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people.” — Peter Strople
🪶 “You leave behind a trail of kindness, wisdom, and light. What a beautiful legacy.” — Maya Angelou
🌟 “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall
🌈 “You’ve touched hearts in ways words will never fully express.” — Douglas Pagels
🧡 “The best portion of a good person’s life: their little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” — William Wordsworth
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
Funny Retirement Quotes
Who it’s for:
Someone with a sharp wit who appreciates humor with a punch—perfect for a laugh-out-loud toast, card, or group video message.
- “I’m retired — goodbye tension, hello pension!” — Stanley Hudson (The Office, NBC)
- “Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five, I still had pimples.” — George Burns
- “There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” — Bill Watterson
- “The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things—like not setting an alarm.” — Leslie Nielsen
- “Don’t act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been.” — J.A. West
- “Retirement means no pressure, no stress, no heartache… unless you play golf.” — Gene Perret
- “I have never liked working. To me, a job is an invasion of privacy.” — Danny McGoorty
- “You can’t retire from being great.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “The question isn’t at what age I want to retire, it’s at what income.” — George Foreman
- “I enjoy waking up and not having to go to work. So I do it three or four times a day.” — Gene Perret
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
Short & Powerful Retirement Quotes
Who it’s for:
Someone who believes less is more. These quotes are concise, impactful, and ideal for cards, speeches, or social captions that leave a lasting impression.
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
- “Retire from work, but not from life.” — M.K. Soni
- “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” — Muhammad Ali
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Every day is a gift. But some days come with naps.” — Sandra Boynton
- “Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” — Betty Friedan
- “Retirement means doing whatever you want. No permission needed.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “Time is the coin of your life. Spend it wisely.” — Carl Sandburg
- “The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things.” — Susan Miller
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
Retirement Quotes for a Friend
Who it’s for:
Someone saying farewell to a close friend—whether you shared an office, a lifetime, or simply countless memories.
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust
“True friends are never apart—maybe in distance but never in heart.” — Helen Keller
“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” — Woodrow Wilson
“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” — Douglas Pagels
“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“Retirement is not a goodbye. It’s a celebration of what’s next.” — L.M. Montgomery
“The language of friendship is not words but meanings.” — Henry David Thoreau
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” — Aristotle
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.” — Anaïs Nin
“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.” — Christy Evans
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
Retirement Quotes for a Boss or Mentor
Who it’s for:
A manager, supervisor, or mentor who helped shape your growth and career.
“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” — Simon Sinek
“The influence of a great mentor can never be erased.” — Maya Angelou
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” — Peter Drucker
“The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been.” — Henry Kissinger
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” — Ronald Reagan
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” — Roy T. Bennett
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go—but ought to be.” — Rosalynn Carter
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
Retirement Quotes from Movies & TV
Who it’s for:
Someone who wants to add wit, nostalgia, or pop-culture punch to their message—ideal for a card, speech, or group video with personality.
“I’m not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?” — Chandler Bing, Friends
“To infinity… and beyond!” — Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
“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
“You have to do the best with what God gave you.” — Mrs. Gump, Forrest Gump
“I’m retired, but not expired.” — Frank Moses, RED
“I figure life’s a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it.” — Jack Dawson, Titanic
“It’s what you do right now that makes a difference.” — Black Panther, Black Panther
“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” — Rocky Balboa, Rocky Balboa
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” — Martin Brody, Jaws
“I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” — Emily Charlton, The Devil Wears Prada
“I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.” — Dr. Rumack, Airplane!
“This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” — Rick Blaine, Casablanca
“Not all those who wander are lost.” — Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
“Just keep swimming.” — Dory, Finding Nemo
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” — Doc Brown, Back to the Future
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky (quoted by Michael Scott, The Office)
“There’s no place like home.” — Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz
“You had me at hello.” — Dorothy Boyd, Jerry Maguire
“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” — John Keating, Dead Poets Society
“I’m not a regular retiree. I’m a cool retiree.” — (paraphrased from Mrs. George, Mean Girls)
“May the Force be with you.” — Various, Star Wars
Use these quotes in a retirement video →
How to Turn Inspirational Retirement Quotes into a Living Keepsake
Some quotes stick with you forever. But when they’re delivered by the people who matter most, they move from inspiring to unforgettable.
That’s the magic of a Tribute.
Where quotes, stories, and messages come together in a living memory they can see, hear, and replay anytime.
Invite
Set up a Tribute page and invite friends, family, and colleagues to share a favorite quote or personal message.
Even a single line—shared on camera—can become the moment that moves them most.
Collect
As the quotes and videos come in, their Tribute takes shape.
From heartfelt to hilarious, you’ll gather memories that reflect their journey—and the impact they’ve had.
Create
Tribute edits all the clips into a seamless video or loads them into a Tribute Photo & Video Book.
With a 7‑inch HD screen, built-in speakers, and easy controls, it’s the kind of gift they’ll treasure for life.
Start a Tribute today to turn inspirational retirement quotes into a keepsake they’ll never forget.