To retire is the beginning of death.
Interpretation
Retirement signifies a loss of purpose, akin to the end of life.
Pablo Casals' quote suggests that retirement is not merely a break from work, but rather a transition that can lead to a decline in one's vitality and sense of purpose. The phrase implies that without the engagement and activity that work provides, one may metaphorically experience a sense of death, highlighting the importance of remaining active and involved in life even after one has left their formal career.
In practice
During a speech about the importance of staying active after retirement, one might use this quote.
Bach is the supreme genius of music... This man, who knows everything and feels everything, cannot write one note, however unimportant it may appear, which is anything but transcendent. He has reached the heart of every noble thought, and has done it in the most perfect way.
In music, in the sea, in a flower, in a leaf, in an act of kindness... I see what people call God in all these things.
The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?
The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.
I am an old man but in many senses a very young man. And this is what I want you to be, young, young all your life.
To the whole world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the whole world.
All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures.
we must not blame our poor symbols if they take forms that seem trivial to us, or absurd, ... however paltry they may be; the nature of our life alone has determined their forms.
It is a precarious undertaking to say anything reliable about aims and intentions.
Pride, envy, avarice - these are the sparks have set on fire the hearts of all men.
A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.
No American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found guilty of a crime by a court.
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