Retirement is often a long-awaited stage of life, and many people look forward to leaving long working hours behind them. Finally, they can pursue their postponed hobbies and dreams without watching the clock, or spend more time with their grandchildren.
However, leaving the workplace where you have spent so much time can also leave a slightly bitter taste. For many, it is a huge change that they first have to come to terms with.
It is all the more wonderful when colleagues, acquaintances, and friends sweeten your departure with gifts and kind words and wishes.
Sometimes, however, it's not so easy to find the right words. To make it easier for you, here are a few tips and 50 poems, quotes, and sayings about retirement to serve as inspiration.
Tips: How to find the right words when saying goodbye to retirement
Someone you know is retiring, and now you're asking yourself questions like, "What should I say in a retirement farewell?" or "What should I write in a retirement card?"
This is often easier said than done. In most cases, the gesture counts more than the words themselves. Here are a few simple tips on how to overcome writer's block and write a greeting card that will be remembered.
- Just be yourself: Don't overcomplicate things, just be yourself. Congratulate the retiree on their retirement or pension and let them know how happy you are for them.
- Share a shared memory: If you are a colleague, share a favorite memory from your working life. If you are a family member or friend, tell a story about how you perceived the path to retirement or mention something that particularly stuck in your memory.
- Show appreciation: Recognize how hard someone has worked to earn their well-deserved retirement. Let them know that you value them. You can express your admiration for their work or remind them how proud you are of them.
- Be encouraging: For many, this step is not easy. So write something encouraging and uplifting. Put yourself in the person's shoes and show the new retiree what a great time awaits them.
Best wishes and farewell messages for retirement
Below you will find a detailed list of various sayings, poems, and quotes about retirement.
Funny sayings about retirement
The best thing about retirement is that you don't have to worry about being caught doing nothing.
by Unknown
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"When is bedtime for retirees? About 30 minutes after they fall asleep on the couch!"
by Unknown
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"How do you know it's time to retire? When you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it!"
by Unknown
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"Why don't retirees mind being called seniors? Because seniors get a 10% discount."
by Unknown
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Just because you're retired doesn't mean you shouldn't take coffee breaks anymore. Be sure to schedule me in!
by Unknown
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"No one really stops working. I'm sure your wife will have plenty of work for you. Have fun!"
by Unknown
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"Congratulations on your retirement! To be honest, I could have sworn you stopped working years ago."
by Unknown
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Just when the wife thinks she finally has the kids out of the house, her husband decides to retire. Have fun!
by Unknown
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Congratulations on extending your weekends by five days!
by Unknown
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"In retirement, you no longer have to do what pays off, but can do what is worthwhile."
by Ernst Reinhardt
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"When someone retires and is no longer pressed for time, their colleagues usually give them a watch as a gift."
by Unknown
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He grumbled that his meager pension was like euthanasia.
by Erhard Schümmelfeder
Short sayings about retirement
"Retirement is like two six-month vacations per year."
by Unknown
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Life begins at retirement.
by Unknown
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"Retirees: Palindromes in retirement."
by Karl Heinz Karius
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"It's not how much you get in pension that matters, but how long."
by Unknown
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"Spaghetti al rente:
Italian senior citizen's plate"
by Karl Heinz Karius
Congratulations on retirement for business colleagues
"I can't imagine coming into the office and not seeing your face. Thank you for every single second you spent with our team. We really appreciate it!"
by Unknown
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"I will miss working with you in the office, but I will miss your beaming smile even more. Thank you for being there for me all these years. Enjoy your retirement!"
by Unknown
"If you put as much effort into enjoying your retirement as you did at this company, it's sure to be a success!"
by Unknown
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Retirement is your reward for putting up with colleagues like me for so many years. I wish you all the best!
by Unknown
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"So you're retiring. Does that mean we can't have lunch together anymore? At our usual place? Congratulations!"
by Unknown
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"Congratulations! The money isn't any better in retirement, but the hours certainly are."
by Unknown
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Best wishes for your retirement. May you keep an eye on your grandchildren and not on profits.
by Unknown
Congratulations on your retirement for private individuals
"Now you have all the time in the world to go fishing, play golf, and sleep in!"
by Unknown
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"Congratulations on staying alive long enough for your company to force you into retirement."
by Unknown
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"Your someday is here. Have fun!"
by Unknown
"Now Friday is no longer the best day of the week... but all of them!"
by Unknown
Retirement quotes by Loriot
"A happy marriage is one in which she is a little blind and he is a little deaf."
by Loriot
"You look the way you feel; that's the worst part! At 50, I already looked like I was 70."
by Loriot
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"It is not what you earn that matters, but what you serve."
by Loriot
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"I live as unreasonably as possible."
by Loriot
Quotes about retirement by Heinz Erhardt
"Some people always want to shine, even though they don't have a clue."
by Heinz Erhardt
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"TOO LATE The old teeth were getting bad, and they started pulling them out. The new ones came just in time to bite the dust with them."
by Heinz Erhardt
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"Painters are people who live from the wall to their mouth."
by Heinz Erhardt
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"TOO SHORT No sooner had you come into this world, gone to school, taken a wife, acquired children, money, and possessions—than you were already lying there, because you had died."
by Heinz Erhardt
Sayings about retirement
What do you call someone who is happy on a Monday? Retired!
by Unknown
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He retired by becoming a civil servant.
by Ulrich Erckenbrecht
"Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway."
by Unknown
Thoughtful sayings about retirement
"Often, when you think you're at the end of something, you're actually at the beginning of something even greater. Congratulations on your retirement."
by Unknown
"After climbing the mountain all these years, you can finally sit back and enjoy the view. Good luck in this new chapter of your life."
by Unknown
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"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."
by Confucius
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"We should spell ALTER optimistically:
Instead of
A = Fear of the rest
L = Suffering from minor ailments
T = Grief over the past
E = Loneliness instead of success
R = Retirement as a sidetrack
e.g.
A = Starting over
L = Love of life
T = Courage in the face of minor ailments
E = Experience as a treasure trove
R = Retirement as a launch pad
by Karl Heinz Karius
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"Being free means not only breaking your own chains, but also living a life that respects and promotes the freedom of others."
by Nelson Mandela
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Human life is strangely arranged: after years of burden, one has the burden of years.
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Poems about retirement
"How wonderful it is to do nothing and then rest from doing nothing."
by Heinrich Zille
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Retirement
Finally achieved! After a long struggle,
working life is now over.
However, dangers now lurk,
as we will soon learn below.
Whoever stands motionless against the wall
is retired.
So let him not linger there,
or illness will soon overtake him.
He should move around quite often,
whether by bike or on foot,
because physical exercise, as I see it,
is very healthy, as every child knows.
Mental exercise also
keeps the mind and senses sharp,
strengthens memory and wit.
With this diligence, you never age.
Therefore, retirees or pensioners,
neither of you should find it difficult
to live a long life,
to exercise your body and mind a lot.
Rewarded with fitness instead of a belly,
more pleasure than frustration when shopping for clothes,
you can enjoy yourself easily and elegantly,
not a state of rest but of well-being."
by Klaus-Gunther Häuseler
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"Far too late, many realize the life goals they have missed: joy, beauty and nature, health, travel, and culture. Therefore, man, be wise in time! It is high time! Travel, travel!"
by Unknown
Poems by Wilhelm Busch
That's exactly it!
You don't just think – you also want to live."
by Wilhelm Busch
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Spring, summer, and beyond
Autumn is coming, and soon winter –
Oh, dearest maid,
Life moves quickly.
by Wilhelm Busch
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He felt reinvigorated,
when he notices so much money."
by Wilhelm Busch
A gift is also a good idea. How about awooden puzzle featuring the recipient's favorite motif?
