---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need more cartoonists to truly retire…"
description: "\"We need more cartoonists to truly retire when they retire, and not run repeats.\" — Stephan Pastis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png"
---

#  We need more cartoonists to truly retire when they retire…

![“We need more cartoonists to truly retire when they retire, and not run repeats.” quote by Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png)

> “We need more cartoonists to truly retire when they retire, and not run repeats.”

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Cartoonists should enjoy true retirement, not be forced to repeat old work for profit.

**In simple terms:** Artists deserve rest without repeats.

Key Takeaway

Support creators’ right to retire fully.

Themes

artistic integrity retirement creative freedom

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

industry ethical

When to use this quote

- publishing contracts
- artist pension plans
- creative sabbaticals
- fan expectations

Key Concepts

intellectual property artist rights industry pressure

Questions to Reflect On

- Should creators be compensated for retiring?
- What policies protect artistic legacy?

A Different Perspective

Financial pressures often push creators to continue producing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cartoonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cartoonists/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/)

## Related quotes

> [I never stop. I'll never truly retire, because my mind is always on go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jones-jr/i-never-stop-i-ll-never-truly-retire-because-my-mind-is-always-on-go/)

[Roy Jones Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jones-jr/)

> [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/)

[Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/)

> [The digital realm give cartoons and cartoonists more possibilities for exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/the-digital-realm-give-cartoons-and-cartoonists-more-possibilities/)

[Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/)

> [People are starting to acknowledge the direction the media is going. This is a good sign that we'll continue to deliver satire and news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fiore/people-are-starting-to-acknowledge-the-direction-the-media-is-going/)

[Mark Fiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fiore/)

> [I do worry that beginning cartoonists could feel somewhat strangled by the increasing critical seriousness comics has received of late and feel, like younger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/i-do-worry-that-beginning-cartoonists-could-feel-somewhat-strangled/)

[Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/)

> [I am not one to generalize, but cartoonists, as a group, exhibit a level of social sophistication generally associated with pie fights. In high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-am-not-one-to-generalize-but-cartoonists-as-a-group-exhibit-a-level/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [If you just write the kinds of stories you think others will want to read, you'll be competing with cartoonists who are far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/if-you-just-write-the-kinds-of-stories-you-think-others-will-want-to/)

[Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/)

> [Alternative cartoonists have to rely on comic book stores to get their stuff in the hands of readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/alternative-cartoonists-have-to-rely-on-comic-book-stores-to-get/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [Today, although as a whole, the industry is still male-dominated, more women are drawing comics than ever before, and there are more venues for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trina-robbins/today-although-as-a-whole-the-industry-is-still-male-dominated-more/)

[Trina Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trina-robbins/)

> [I can definitely say that of all my friends who I consider to be really great cartoonists, we're all trying to aim at basically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/i-can-definitely-say-that-of-all-my-friends-who-i-consider-to-be/)

[Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/)

> [Cartoons were very conservative. The country was very conservative. Although the liberals were allegedly in charge for a long time, there was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/cartoons-were-very-conservative-the-country-was-very-conservative/)

[Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/)

> [I'm a better editorial cartoonist by default because so many editorial cartoonists out there are so awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-rall/i-m-a-better-editorial-cartoonist-by-default-because-so-many/)

[Ted Rall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-rall/)

> [So many cartoonists draw the same year after year. When they find a style, they stick with it. They don't mess with innovation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-oliphant/so-many-cartoonists-draw-the-same-year-after-year-when-they-find-a/)

[Pat Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-oliphant/)

> [Perspective was always important. There are some cartoonists who can stand at the foot of a building looking straight up and they'll capture it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-larson/perspective-was-always-important-there-are-some-cartoonists-who-can/)

[Gary Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-larson/)

> [Well, there are better cartoonists now than there ever have been. I firmly believe that. There's some amazing work being done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/well-there-are-better-cartoonists-now-than-there-ever-have-been-i/)

[Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/)

## More by Stephan Pastis

> [For me, going to Minneapolis is like going to Mecca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/for-me-going-to-minneapolis-is-like-going-to-mecca/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [I have days where the only words I say are to the person making my sandwich at the grocery store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-have-days-where-the-only-words-i-say-are-to-the-person-making-my/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [“Humility is what you strive for when you've failed at everything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/humility-is-what-you-strive-for-when-you-ve-failed-at-everything-else/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [A comic strip has a rhythm and a pattern, and you got to get in and out quick. So you set up a joke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/a-comic-strip-has-a-rhythm-and-a-pattern-and-you-got-to-get-in-and/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [I like characters who have blind spots and are full of themselves, but there also needs to be vulnerability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-like-characters-who-have-blind-spots-and-are-full-of-themselves-but/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [If you put me in 'South Park,' that audience is going to fall asleep in five minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/if-you-put-me-in-south-park-that-audience-is-going-to-fall-asleep-in/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [When you can't draw chameleons and you can't draw blenders, it's a bad idea to write strips where chameleons become blenders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/when-you-can-t-draw-chameleons-and-you-can-t-draw-blenders-it-s-a-bad/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [Thomas, my 15-year-old, is effectively my editor, I've always trusted his voice, more than anybody, on the strip for years. He has one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/thomas-my-15-year-old-is-effectively-my-editor-i-ve-always-trusted/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [I think it might surprise the average person how angry people can get over the comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-think-it-might-surprise-the-average-person-how-angry-people-can-get/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [You can't just count on becoming a syndicated cartoonist. I actually tried to calculate the odds once, and the best I could come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/you-can-t-just-count-on-becoming-a-syndicated-cartoonist-i-actually/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [A stand-up comedian faces the audiences and gets their immediate feedback. I hide behind the comic strip, and unless people write to me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/a-stand-up-comedian-faces-the-audiences-and-gets-their-immediate/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [“I know that if I am to move forward like the professional that I am, I must first see the past with mature eyes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-know-that-if-i-am-to-move-forward-like-the-professional-that-i-am-i/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [“Perhaps it is a secret yearning of all Hallmark employees to use the phrase 'you big fat pain in the butt' in an anniversary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/perhaps-it-is-a-secret-yearning-of-all-hallmark-employees-to-use-the/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [It seems so absurd to get really mad with a cartoonist over a comic strip. It's sort of like getting in a fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/it-seems-so-absurd-to-get-really-mad-with-a-cartoonist-over-a-comic/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [I know I can always draw, but I actually love the writing the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/i-know-i-can-always-draw-but-i-actually-love-the-writing-the-most/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

[Explore all 72 Stephan Pastis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

## More Cartoonist quotes

> [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/)

[Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/)

> [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [In my journey as a cartoonist, I seem to have accidentally stumbled into all sorts of traps, damnations and blacklists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-my-journey-as-a-cartoonist-i-seem-to-have-accidentally-stumbled/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-bakshi/sweetheart-i-m-the-biggest-ripped-off-cartoonist-in-the-history-of/)

[Ralph Bakshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-bakshi/)

> [I'm just a little old cartoonist, tryin' to make a buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lantz/i-m-just-a-little-old-cartoonist-tryin-to-make-a-buck/)

Walter Lantz

> [Perspective was always important. There are some cartoonists who can stand at the foot of a building looking straight up and they'll capture it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-larson/perspective-was-always-important-there-are-some-cartoonists-who-can/)

[Gary Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-larson/)

> [As a kid, I knew I wanted to be either a cartoonist or an astronaut. The latter was never much of a possibility, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/as-a-kid-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-either-a-cartoonist-or-an-astronaut/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [I never saw myself so much as an actor. I wanted to be a cartoonist like Charles M. Schulz and create my own world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hamill/i-never-saw-myself-so-much-as-an-actor-i-wanted-to-be-a-cartoonist/)

[Mark Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hamill/)

> [In many ways, my entire graphic novel career was a long diversion. Originally, all I wanted to do was to be an underground cartoonist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/in-many-ways-my-entire-graphic-novel-career-was-a-long-diversion/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [In 1908, you could easily earn $20 to $200 as a cartoonist. What's amazing is that it's still true!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-spiegelman/in-1908-you-could-easily-earn-20-to-200-as-a-cartoonist-what-s/)

[Art Spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-spiegelman/)

> [I have no sense of direction; I never know where I am. When I back up a car, I'm more likely to hit what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-have-no-sense-of-direction-i-never-know-where-i-am-when-i-back-up-a/)

[Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/)

> [So many cartoonists draw the same year after year. When they find a style, they stick with it. They don't mess with innovation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-oliphant/so-many-cartoonists-draw-the-same-year-after-year-when-they-find-a/)

[Pat Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-oliphant/)

> [I'm a better editorial cartoonist by default because so many editorial cartoonists out there are so awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-rall/i-m-a-better-editorial-cartoonist-by-default-because-so-many/)

[Ted Rall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-rall/)

> [I was doing political cartoons and getting angry to the point where I felt I was going to have to start making and throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/i-was-doing-political-cartoons-and-getting-angry-to-the-point-where-i/)

[Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/)

> [In college, I was a cartoonist at 'The Daily Northwestern.' So I draw myself. I was an animator. But basically, I went to Northwestern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/in-college-i-was-a-cartoonist-at-the-daily-northwestern-so-i-draw/)

[John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/)

Browse all 215 Cartoonist quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We need more cartoonists to truly retire when they retire, and not run repeats.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephan Pastis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire-when-they-retire-and-not-run/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cartoonist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire-when-they-retire-and-not-run/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/stephan-pastis-9455_cartoonist_we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire_1331484.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We need more cartoonists to truly retire when they retire, and not run repeats.” — Stephan Pastis",
                "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": "Stephan Pastis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We need more cartoonists to truly...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire-when-they-retire-and-not-run/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/we-need-more-cartoonists-to-truly-retire-when-they-retire-and-not-run/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
