"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Quotable Retirees

     I've collected some quips and quotes that you might find amusing. Many reflect on retirement. Others take on different subjects, but can only really be appreciated by those of us who have been around on earth for a good long while.

     If one of them seems particularly relevant to your life, pass it along to a friend or family member, or print it out and post it on your refrigerator.

     Which one is your favorite . . .

     "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 I get older, the things I'm sure of become fewer." -- J. A. Jance

     "Humans were built to look back; that's why we have that swivel joint in our necks." -- Stephen King

     "When men reach their sixties and retire they go to pieces. Women go right on cooking." -- Gail Sheehy

     "Don't be overly concerned about your heirs. Usually, unearned funds do them more harm than good." -- Gerald M. Loeb

     "Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing."  -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

    "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

     "Life after 50 or 60 is itself another country, as different as adolescence is from childhood, or as adulthood is from adolescence."             -- Gloria Steinem

     "If you are creative, you get busier as you get older." -- Tony Bennett

     "When a man retires, his wife gets twice the husband but only half the income." -- Chi Chi Rodriguez

     "It is better to live rich than to die rich." -- Samuel Johnson

     "Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life."
  -- Kitty O'Neill Collins

     "Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old."
  -- Mary H. Waldrip

     "The best time to start thinking about retirement is before the boss does."
  -- Anon.

     "People worry so much about aging, but you look younger if you don't worry about it." -- Jeanne Moreau

     "Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory."
  -- Franklin Adams

     "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
  -- Mark Twain

     "At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At age 40, we don't care what they think of us. At age 60, we discover they haven't been thinking of us at all." -- Ann Landers

     "When you get to my age, you'll see that it is wiser to make your own decisions than let time make decisions for you." -- Charles Finch

     "All men come to resemble their fathers. That isn't a tragedy. But you need a hell of a sense of humor to handle it." -- Philip Kerr

     "Fun is like life insurance: the older you get, the more it costs."
  -- Ken Hubbard

     "Others will keep working because the 'gold' in our so-called 'golden years' doesn't have to come from watching sunsets." -- Arianna Huffington

     "If I were to say, 'God, why me?' about the bad things, then I should have said, 'God, why me?' about the good things that happened in my life."
  -- Arthur Ashe

     "Modern man was not meant to do his best work before forty but is by nature, and is becoming more so, an afternoon and evening worker."
  -- G. Stanley Hall

     "Before you speak, listen. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give." -- William A. Ward

17 comments:

Kevin said...

Thank you, Tom - there's a ton of wisdom in these epigrams.

DJan said...

So many of these are keepers. I especially like the last one. :-)

Anonymous said...

These are all really good... it's hard to pick a favorite. Lots of wisdom in a few words.

Olga said...

This one made me smile:
"Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory."
-- Franklin Adams

This one made me feel a certain sense of relief:
"Don't be overly concerned about your heirs. Usually, unearned funds do them more harm than good." -- Gerald M. Loeb

This one reminded me to be very grateful:
"Before you speak, listen. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give." -- William A. Ward

They were all interesting. Thank you for sharing these.

retirementreflections said...

Thanks for these Tom. I like them all, especially Samuel Johnson's!

Jono said...

Good ones, Tom.

Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com said...

Hi Tom! In case you haven't guessed, I LOVE quotes. My favorite is: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." by Mark Twain. There were several new to me. Thanks! ~Kathy

Rian said...

I'm with Kathy. My favorite was Mark Twain's "Age is an issue..." And I love quotes and old sayings! One my grandkids remember me saying and I have it pinned over my desk is: "Don't cry because it's over... Smile because it happened!" (Guess that could be related to retirement too)

Anonymous said...

They are all laudable quotes.

Savoring Sixty said...

Lots of good quotes! My favorite is "Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wisewebwoman said...

We have similar posts today. Much reflection.

XO
WWW

Dr Sock said...

What a wonderful collections of quotes, Tom.

Jude

Rebecca Olkowski said...

I like the one about women who keep cooking in their sixties. A woman's work is never done. We all have to eat.

Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond said...

Love a good quote Tom and you have selected some beauties here.

buddy said...

When you were a child you played in the orchestra, as a parent, you directed the orchestra, if all goes well, as a grandparent, you sit in the front row seats and enjoy the music!

Jennifer (UnfoldAndBegin) said...

A lot of great comments. The one that spoke to me the most was the one from Ann Landers.

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