Humor is just another defense against the universe.
Mel BrooksRead
I'm still a horse that can run. I may not be able to win the Derby, but what do you do when you retire? People retire and they vegetate. They go away and they dry up.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life doesn't end with retirement; staying active and engaged is essential for fulfillment.
In this quote, Mel Brooks emphasizes the importance of remaining active and purpose-driven even after traditional milestones like retirement. He suggests that many people fall into inactivity and complacency after leaving their careers, but one should instead seek new passions, challenges, and ways to contribute to life, thereby avoiding the stagnation that comes with 'vegetating.'
Themes
RetirementActivePurposeMotivationEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
During a retirement party, this quote can inspire others to remain active in their post-career lives.
More from Mel Brooks
All quotes →Look, I don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully, or you're not alive.
Mel BrooksRead
You got to be brave. If you feel something, you've really got to risk it.
Mel BrooksRead
Hope for the Best. Expect the worst. Life is a play. We're unrehearsed.
Mel BrooksRead
If you're quiet, you're not living. You've got to be noisy and colorful and lively.
Mel BrooksRead
We want to get people laughing; we don't want to offend anybody.
Mel BrooksRead
Similar quotes
If you want to be a champion you cannot have any kind of an outside negative force coming in to deflect you.
Arnold SchwarzeneggerRead
If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
William H. McravenRead
You always say 'I'll quit when I start to slide', and then one morning you wake up and realize you've done slid.
Sugar Ray RobinsonRead
Take your mind off the problems for a moment, and focus on the positive possibilities. Consider how very much you are able to do.
Ralph MarstonRead
It is said that good things come to those who wait. I believe that good things come to those who work.
Wilt ChamberlainRead
To convince people to back your idea, you've got to sell it to yourself and know when it's the moment. Sometimes that means waiting. It's like surfing. You don't create energy, you just harvest energy already out there.
James CameronRead