--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are people who look forward to…" description: "\"There are people who look forward to spending their sunset years in the sunshine; it is my own retirement dream to await my death indoors, dragging str..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg" --- # There are people who look forward to spending their sunset… ![“There are people who look forward to spending their sunset years in the sunshine; it is my own retirement dream to await my death indoors, dragging strangers up dusty staircases while coughing up one of the most thrilling phrases in the English language: 'It was on this spot…' My fantasy is to one…” quote by Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg) > “There are people who look forward to spending their sunset years in the sunshine; it is my own retirement dream to await my death indoors, dragging strangers up dusty staircases while coughing up one of the most thrilling phrases in the English language: 'It was on this spot…' My fantasy is to one day become a docent.” [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker imagines a retirement spent indoors, guiding strangers through dusty places while reciting a dramatic line, reflecting a desire for a purposeful, narrative‑rich ending. **In simple terms:** Dream of a dramatic, guiding retirement. Key Takeaway Seek meaningful roles in later life. Themes retirement storytelling purpose humor age Mood reflective wistful humorous Type personal career life‑stage When to use this quote - museum docent - guided tours - elderly volunteering - storytelling workshops Key Concepts narrative identity late‑life career dramatic irony Questions to Reflect On - What legacy do you want to leave? - How can you blend purpose with comfort in old age? A Different Perspective May idealize the romance of death, overlooking practical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coughing/) [Day Docent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-docent-911967/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream Await](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-await-911964/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Phrases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrases/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Retirement Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement-dream-911963/) [Spending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spending/) [Spending Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spending-sunset-911965/) [Spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spots/) [Staircases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staircases/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) [Sunsets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunsets/) [Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunshine/) [Sunshine Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunshine-retirement-911966/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [For millions, the retirement dream is in reality an economic nightmare. For millions, growing old today means growing poor, being sick, living in substandard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-porter/for-millions-the-retirement-dream-is-in-reality-an-economic-nightmare/) [Sylvia Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-porter/) > [You don't need treatment. The fever, inflammation, coughing, etc., constitute the healing process. Just get out of their way and permit them to complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-m-shelton/you-don-t-need-treatment-the-fever-inflammation-coughing-etc/) [Herbert M. Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-m-shelton/) > [So you want to know all about me. Who I am. What chance meeting of brush and canvas painted the face you see? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/so-you-want-to-know-all-about-me-who-i-am-what-chance-meeting-of-2/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [I really like playing with Mike Doughty from Soul Coughing. He was cool. He opened up some shows for us. I liked playing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-jennings/i-really-like-playing-with-mike-doughty-from-soul-coughing-he-was/) [Mason Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-jennings/) > [When I wake up in the middle of the night when I hear one of my kids coughing or crying, I think about Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/when-i-wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-when-i-hear-one-of-my-kids/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-merely-the-art-of-keeping-a-large-group-of-people-from/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [“I only know two kinds of audiences - one coughing, and one not coughing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artur-schnabel/i-only-know-two-kinds-of-audiences-one-coughing-and-one-not-coughing/) [Artur Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artur-schnabel/) > [Fake coughing in front of smokers just to make them feel guilty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fake-coughing-in-front-of-smokers-just-to-make-them-feel-guilty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acting is the ability to keep an audience from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-barrault/acting-is-the-ability-to-keep-an-audience-from-coughing/) [Jean-Louis Barrault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-barrault/) > [He asked me if I was doing ok... I don't think he knew he would get this sort of response... // right now I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alla/he-asked-me-if-i-was-doing-ok-i-don-t-think-he-knew-he-would-get-this/) [Alla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alla/) > [The last time I seen Eazy-E, we were at a meeting at the House of Blues with me, Big Hutch and Jada Pinkett Smith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kokane/the-last-time-i-seen-eazy-e-we-were-at-a-meeting-at-the-house-of/) [Kokane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kokane/) > [The worst moment was when I was performing and I was about to sing, but I choked. I had a tickle in my throat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/the-worst-moment-was-when-i-was-performing-and-i-was-about-to-sing/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. 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And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More by Sarah Vowell > [“She is either male property (Mrs.), wannabe male property (Miss), or man-hating harpy (Ms.).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/she-is-either-male-property-mrs-wannabe-male-property-miss-or-man/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“We were breathing sooty air. The soot was composed of incinerated glass and steel but also, we knew, incinerated human flesh. When the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/we-were-breathing-sooty-air-the-soot-was-composed-of-incinerated/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [I was a big Nancy Drew reader. Nancy figures it out. 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"As they deal with me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-last-line-of-hawaii-s-story-by-hawaii-s-queen-is-addressed-to-the/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“In the gravedigger scene in act V, Hamlet looks upon an anonymous skull and jokes that even Alexander the Great decomposed into dust that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/in-the-gravedigger-scene-in-act-v-hamlet-looks-upon-an-anonymous/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“Another reason I’m intrigued with the hanged of Salem, especially the women, is that a number of them aroused suspicion in the first place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/another-reason-i-m-intrigued-with-the-hanged-of-salem-especially-the/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [Listening to the radio every day for an entire year was a prison sentence. It was the most depressing, annoying, debilitating project I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/listening-to-the-radio-every-day-for-an-entire-year-was-a-prison/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [That's what I like to call him, "the current president." I find it difficult to say or type his name, George W. Bush. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/that-s-what-i-like-to-call-him-the-current-president-i-find-it/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [While I gave up God a long time ago, I never shook the habit of wanting to believe in something. So I replaced my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/while-i-gave-up-god-a-long-time-ago-i-never-shook-the-habit-of/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-violent-historical-death/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world: the kind who alphabetize their record collections, and the kind who don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-the-kind-who-alphabetize/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [What are you hiding? No one ever asks that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/what-are-you-hiding-no-one-ever-asks-that/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“I don't have a driver's license (phobia).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-don-t-have-a-driver-s-license-phobia/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) [Explore all 190 Sarah Vowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) ## More Coughing quotes > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, "Mmm. O positive, my favorite." Keith sprayed out the wine he'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/keith-was-just-bringing-the-glass-to-his-lips-when-adrian-said-mmm-o/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [The worst moment was when I was performing and I was about to sing, but I choked. I had a tickle in my throat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/the-worst-moment-was-when-i-was-performing-and-i-was-about-to-sing/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [The last time I seen Eazy-E, we were at a meeting at the House of Blues with me, Big Hutch and Jada Pinkett Smith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kokane/the-last-time-i-seen-eazy-e-we-were-at-a-meeting-at-the-house-of/) [Kokane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kokane/) > [He asked me if I was doing ok... I don't think he knew he would get this sort of response... // right now I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alla/he-asked-me-if-i-was-doing-ok-i-don-t-think-he-knew-he-would-get-this/) [Alla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alla/) > [Acting is the ability to keep an audience from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-barrault/acting-is-the-ability-to-keep-an-audience-from-coughing/) [Jean-Louis Barrault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-barrault/) > [Fake coughing in front of smokers just to make them feel guilty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fake-coughing-in-front-of-smokers-just-to-make-them-feel-guilty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I only know two kinds of audiences - one coughing, and one not coughing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artur-schnabel/i-only-know-two-kinds-of-audiences-one-coughing-and-one-not-coughing/) [Artur Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artur-schnabel/) > [Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-merely-the-art-of-keeping-a-large-group-of-people-from/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [When I wake up in the middle of the night when I hear one of my kids coughing or crying, I think about Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/when-i-wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-when-i-hear-one-of-my-kids/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [I really like playing with Mike Doughty from Soul Coughing. He was cool. He opened up some shows for us. I liked playing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-jennings/i-really-like-playing-with-mike-doughty-from-soul-coughing-he-was/) [Mason Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-jennings/) > [So you want to know all about me. Who I am. What chance meeting of brush and canvas painted the face you see? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/so-you-want-to-know-all-about-me-who-i-am-what-chance-meeting-of-2/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [You don't need treatment. The fever, inflammation, coughing, etc., constitute the healing process. Just get out of their way and permit them to complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-m-shelton/you-don-t-need-treatment-the-fever-inflammation-coughing-etc/) [Herbert M. Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-m-shelton/) > [I typed coughing into Google images, and this is what I got a few rows down...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alla/i-typed-coughing-into-google-images-and-this-is-what-i-got-a-few-rows/) [Alla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alla/) [Browse all 69 Coughing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coughing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are people who look forward to spending their sunset years in the sunshine; it is my own retirement dream to await my death indoors, dragging strangers up dusty staircases while coughing up one of the most thrilling phrases in the English language: 'It was on this spot…' My fantasy is to one day become a docent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Vowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spending-their-sunset-years-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coughing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spending-their-sunset-years-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/sarah-vowell-2016_coughing_there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spe_1676301.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are people who look forward to spending their sunset years in the sunshine; it is my own retirement…” — Sarah Vowell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sarah Vowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are people who look forward...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spending-their-sunset-years-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-people-who-look-forward-to-spending-their-sunset-years-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```