Come, my friends,
’Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson“Ulysses,” 1842
Retirement Speech Quotes
Six sourced lines for send-offs and farewell speeches
Retirement speeches balance two feelings: gratitude for what is ending and excitement for what comes next. A single quote can hold both. The lines below range from solemn to funny, and each lists its author, work and year.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
— Ecclesiastes 3:1King James Bible, 1611
The mountains are calling and I must go.
— John MuirLetter to his sister Sarah, 1873
The report of my death was an exaggeration.
— Mark TwainNote to the New York Journal, 1897
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
— 2 Timothy 4:7King James Bible, 1611
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
— Walt Whitman“Song of the Open Road,” 1856
Using a quote in a retirement speech
Twain’s line is a reliable opener for a room that is ready to laugh. Tennyson and Whitman suit the closing minute, when you turn from the past to what lies ahead. Name the quote’s author, then connect it to one specific memory of the person retiring.