--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always said that when it was time to…" description: "\"I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.\" — Willie Stargell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png" --- # I always said that when it was time to retire, I would… ![“I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.” quote by Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png) > “I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.” [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes knowing his retirement moment and honoring fans with a respectful farewell. **In simple terms:** He will recognize retirement and tip his hat to fans. Key Takeaway Plan a dignified exit when the time comes. Themes legacy humility closure Mood reflective nostalgic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - athlete retirement - public speaking - personal milestone Key Concepts career transition public acknowledgment Questions to Reflect On - When will you know it’s time to retire? - How will you honor those who supported you? A Different Perspective Fans may not accept the timing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The thing you want to be able to do is to be well-liked when you retire. I know right now I'm not close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-busch/the-thing-you-want-to-be-able-to-do-is-to-be-well-liked-when-you/) [Kyle Busch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-busch/) > [I think the minute you're full up and have had enough to eat, then that's time to retire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-think-the-minute-you-re-full-up-and-have-had-enough-to-eat-then/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Two weeks is about the ideal length of time to retire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-comfort/two-weeks-is-about-the-ideal-length-of-time-to-retire/) [Alex Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-comfort/) > [Every job is different. I don't think that I've ever had that wonderful feeling when you've finished a job or where you feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-molina/every-job-is-different-i-don-t-think-that-i-ve-ever-had-that/) [Alfred Molina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-molina/) > [I knew it was my time to retire, when I saw Messi running past me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/i-knew-it-was-my-time-to-retire-when-i-saw-messi-running-past-me/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [Just when you arrive at the apex of your skills, it's time to retire. But as it turned out, I decided that since it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/just-when-you-arrive-at-the-apex-of-your-skills-it-s-time-to-retire/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I still think funny, and people young and old still come and see me. That's flattering. The day comes that they stop coming, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-still-think-funny-and-people-young-and-old-still-come-and-see-me/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [It feels like now I - you know, I'm almost 80 years old - I can sit back and retire, you know, and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-banks/it-feels-like-now-i-you-know-i-m-almost-80-years-old-i-can-sit-back/) [Dennis Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-banks/) > [“I want to do something for a living that when it comes time to retire and I can stop doing it, I’ll want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-want-to-do-something-for-a-living-that-when-it-comes-time-to-retire/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [We'll know when our skating career is over by how we've progressed over the years and if we think we've got to a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-moir/we-ll-know-when-our-skating-career-is-over-by-how-we-ve-progressed/) [Scott Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-moir/) > [When the butterflies in my stomach, when those leave, then I know it's probably time to retire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-kershaw/when-the-butterflies-in-my-stomach-when-those-leave-then-i-know-it-s/) [Clayton Kershaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-kershaw/) > [I always wondered if I would know the right time to retire. After that first Ashes Test in Brisbane in 2006 I had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/i-always-wondered-if-i-would-know-the-right-time-to-retire-after-that/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [Once I started to retire, I was telling all of the girls in my generation, 'Wow I feel like an outsider in this locker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-kim/once-i-started-to-retire-i-was-telling-all-of-the-girls-in-my/) [Gail Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-kim/) > [I got my Backstage Bistro Award, I should just retire. You know, that's a good question and I guess it's really really different for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-graae/i-got-my-backstage-bistro-award-i-should-just-retire-you-know-that-s/) [Jason Graae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-graae/) > [What I'm doing on stage now is just the tip of the iceberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-watts/what-i-m-doing-on-stage-now-is-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/) [Reggie Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-watts/) ## More by Willie Stargell > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I see a lot of people who love their jobs. I see some garbage collectors smiling as they go about their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-see-a-lot-of-people-who-love-their-jobs-i-see-some-garbage/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I'm proud of the fact that I'm the only player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-m-proud-of-the-fact-that-i-m-the-only-player-to-hit-a-ball/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [To middle-class parents, the project team may have seemed unfit for children, but it was exactly what I needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-middle-class-parents-the-project-team-may-have-seemed-unfit-for/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [When we make a mistake, it becomes front-page news. We don't need any reporter telling us how badly we played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/when-we-make-a-mistake-it-becomes-front-page-news-we-don-t-need-any/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [Don't be sharp or flat; just be natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/don-t-be-sharp-or-flat-just-be-natural/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I flailed my arm in a throwing motion before I could even walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-flailed-my-arm-in-a-throwing-motion-before-i-could-even-walk/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [To me, baseball has always been a reflection of life. Like life, it adjusts. It survives everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-me-baseball-has-always-been-a-reflection-of-life-like-life-it/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I gave out stars whenever an appropriate situation presented itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-gave-out-stars-whenever-an-appropriate-situation-presented-itself/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I love September, especially when we're in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-love-september-especially-when-we-re-in-it/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [The Giants were a good team, but our biggest enemy was said to be Candlestick Park.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/the-giants-were-a-good-team-but-our-biggest-enemy-was-said-to-be/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [It's supposed to be fun, the man says 'Play Ball' not 'Work Ball' you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/it-s-supposed-to-be-fun-the-man-says-play-ball-not-work-ball-you-know/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [Life is one big transition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/life-is-one-big-transition/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I owe a large part of my success to Joe Brown, who helped me both as a player and a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-owe-a-large-part-of-my-success-to-joe-brown-who-helped-me-both-as-a/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [I would always reserve a special place in my heart for Pittsburgh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-would-always-reserve-a-special-place-in-my-heart-for-pittsburgh/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Explore all 59 Willie Stargell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) ## More Crowds quotes > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It's been really fun to see with each album when I change to see the fans of the show emulate my style and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/it-s-been-really-fun-to-see-with-each-album-when-i-change-to-see-the/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [I'm neurotic in the sense that I can have a crowd of 300 people cheering you, applauding you, standing O, but one guy come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-m-neurotic-in-the-sense-that-i-can-have-a-crowd-of-300-people/) [Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [I want people to just be paying attention even if they're not necessarily laughing at something, or if it takes them a while to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-want-people-to-just-be-paying-attention-even-if-they-re-not/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I am rarely bored alone; I am often bored in groups and crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/i-am-rarely-bored-alone-i-am-often-bored-in-groups-and-crowds/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I've always said about 50% of what happens at a concert has to do with the audience. If you play for a dead audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-always-said-about-50-of-what-happens-at-a-concert-has-to-do-with/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) Browse all 2,078 Crowds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willie Stargell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-retire-i-would-know-it-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crowds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-retire-i-would-know-it-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/willie-stargell-11554_crowds_i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-r_2401223.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.” — Willie Stargell", "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": "Willie Stargell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always said that when it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-retire-i-would-know-it-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/i-always-said-that-when-it-was-time-to-retire-i-would-know-it-and-i/#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 } } ] } ```