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Daily Inspiration Quote by Bill Kurtis

"I never wanted to retire. I wanted to kind of shift my work pattern so I could stay fresh and invigorated, and use the experience that I had gained in 30 years, but in a slightly different direction"

About this Quote

Kurtis’s line quietly rewires a loaded American word: retire. In a culture that treats career as a single, linear climb followed by a ceremonial exit, he frames longevity as craft management, not surrender. The key move is in the verbs. He doesn’t “stop,” he “shifts.” He doesn’t chase leisure, he protects “fresh and invigorated” - language that sounds less like a pension plan and more like maintaining an instrument.

The subtext is about control. Journalism is a profession that can chew up its elders: deadlines, travel, the grind of nightly broadcasts, the subtle industry bias toward the new face. By rejecting retirement, Kurtis resists becoming a museum piece or a cautionary tale. He’s also signaling that experience isn’t just seniority; it’s usable capital. “Use the experience” reads like a rebuttal to workplaces that discard institutional memory right when it becomes most valuable.

Context matters: Kurtis built a reputation in the era when authority on camera was a practiced posture - steady voice, restrained affect, a trust-me cadence. As media splintered and the performance of authenticity changed, “a slightly different direction” becomes both pragmatic and strategic. It hints at moving from daily churn to long-form storytelling, production, narration, or mentoring - roles where judgment, not stamina, is the competitive edge.

What makes the quote work is its modesty. No grand reinvention narrative, no hustle gospel. Just a clear-eyed negotiation with time: keep working, but on terms that preserve curiosity and dignity.

Quote Details

TopicReinvention
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Kurtis, Bill. (2026, January 16). I never wanted to retire. I wanted to kind of shift my work pattern so I could stay fresh and invigorated, and use the experience that I had gained in 30 years, but in a slightly different direction. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-wanted-to-retire-i-wanted-to-kind-of-124430/

Chicago Style
Kurtis, Bill. "I never wanted to retire. I wanted to kind of shift my work pattern so I could stay fresh and invigorated, and use the experience that I had gained in 30 years, but in a slightly different direction." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-wanted-to-retire-i-wanted-to-kind-of-124430/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I never wanted to retire. I wanted to kind of shift my work pattern so I could stay fresh and invigorated, and use the experience that I had gained in 30 years, but in a slightly different direction." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-wanted-to-retire-i-wanted-to-kind-of-124430/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Bill Add to List
Shift Work Pattern: Stay Fresh and Invigorated
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About the Author

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Bill Kurtis (born September 21, 1940) is a Journalist from USA.

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