101 hilarious, heartwarming and inspiring birthday wishes

Birthdays are significant occasions, especially when it’s the special day of someone close to you. However, it can be hard to find the perfect words to express your wishes for the birthday boy or girl. The right inscription on a birthday card depends on your relationship with the recipient and how you interact with that person. To help you find the perfect birthday wish, here are 101 ideas to get you started. Whether you’re going for funny, heartfelt, sentimental, inspiring, or another mood, you’re sure to find the perfect happy birthday wish in our list. Romantic birthday wishes If you’re writing a birthday wish for your significant other, the message should be both sweet and sincere. Borrow one of these simple love wishes to write as a birthday message for your special someone. Happy birthday to my wife, my best friend, and the love of my life. I want to be an artist To paint pictures just for you, So when each birthday comes around, I can send you quite a few. Wishing you, my husband, a wonderful birthday and all the happiness in the world. May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine. – Frank Sinatra Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be. – Robert Browning If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you. Short and sweet birthday wishes Sometimes you can say a lot in just a few words – if you choose the right ones. Make the perfect impact with one of these short, sweet birthday wishes. Happy birthday! Hope you have a wonderful day and year to come. On your birthday, I wish you all the happiness in the world. Happy birthday to you. Here’s hoping all your dreams and wishes come true. Happy birthday, friend! Wishing you the happiest of birthdays! Happy birthday. I hope that your special day brings you everything that your heart desires. Happy birthday to my one true love. Wishing you health, happiness and love on your birthday. Happy birthday to my dearest friend. Birthday wishes for family Blood is thicker than water and family birthday wishes are more important than wishes for friends. Here are some examples of good birthday wishes for your family members, including wishes for your mother, father, brother or sister. How many years, Mom? Now it’s been awhile Since receiving my first, tenuous, smile You forgave each mistake Made your love, my keepsake And your years, you can trust, were worthwhile If I could choose the perfect Dad There’s no one I would rather Have Dad, than you Dad Coz you go further, Father Happy Birthday Father! – John Bratton I smile because you’re my brother. I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it. Happy birthday, brother! Every day, I just pinch myself…because I’m so lucky to have the nicest, happiest, smartest, funniest and most supportive sister as my best friend. Happy birthday to my favorite sister. Funny birthday quotes Do you relate to your friend primarily through humor? A humorous birthday wish is probably the best way to go. Make them laugh with one of these famously funny birthday quotes. Birthdays are nature’s way of telling us to eat more cake. – Anonymous Age is not important unless you’re a cheese. – Helen Hayes Inside every older person is a younger person – wondering what the hell happened. – Cora Harvey Armstrong We know we’re getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it. – Anonymous The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. – Lucille Ball Just remember, once you’re over the hill you begin to pick up speed. – Charles Schulz A well–adjusted woman is one who not only knows what she wants for her birthday, but even knows what she’s going to exchange it for. – Anonymous You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake. – Bob Hope You’re not aging… You’re marinating. – Anonymous I wanted to buy a candle holder, but the store didn’t have one. So I got a cake. – Mitch Hedberg To me – old age is always ten years older than I am. – Bernard Baruch There is still no cure for the common birthday. – John Glenn Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. – Caroll Bryant I still have a full deck; I just shuffle slower now. – Anonymous You know you’re getting old when you get that one candle on the cake. It’s like, ‘See if you can blow this out.’ – Jerry Seinfeld Birthday wish history: The origins of birthday celebrations Western birthday celebrations originated in Europe, where people in ancient times would extend their birthday wishes to fend off evil spirits. It was believed that evil spirits were especially attracted to a person on the day of their birth, so it was necessary for their loved ones to visit and bring gifts and good wishes to ward off these entities. In ancient Rome, people celebrated the birthdays of friends and family with banquets and gift giving; they also observed the natales (birthdays/anniversaries) of their cities and of past and present emperors. In early Christianity, birthday celebrations were considered sinful. By medieval times, this view had changed – nobility celebrated birthdays while the rest of the population celebrated their name day, the day of the year associated with one’s given name. Holiday birthday wishes Those whose birthday falls on a holiday may often feel like their special day is forgotten amid all of the holiday fanfare. Make the holiday birthday boy or girl feel special with one of these festive birthday wishes. It’s no coincidence that your birthday is on Valentine’s Day because you’re as sweet as candy hearts! Happy birthday to my sweetheart. Tis the season … to celebrate you! I wish you a merry and magical Christmas birthday. New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday. – Charles Lamb When I was little I thought, isn’t it nice that everybody celebrates on my birthday? Because it’s July 4th. – Gloria Stuart Witching you a spook–tacular Halloween birthday! Birthday wishes for a close friend Birthday wishes for close friends are more intimate than your standard birthday wish. Select from the following sentimental, nostalgic, and gently teasing birthday wishes and quotes. Hope your birthday gently breezes into your life all the choicest of things and all that your heart holds dear. Have a fun-filled day. It’s your birthday, which means that it’s time to celebrate! Let’s dance the night away like we’re 21 again! Love you, friend. A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever, and we’ll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst of the one celebration that never can end. – Richard Bach You are living proof that you are only as old as you act. Happy birthday to the youngest “old” person I know. On your birthday, let me wish you plenty of joy; I know you’re too old, but I still bought you a toy. Count your life by smiles, not tears. Count your age by friends, not years. Cakes are special. Every birthday, every celebration ends with something sweet, a cake, and people remember. It’s all about the memories. – Buddy Valastro Is it getting hotter in here or is it just all the candles on your cake? Happy birthday, old fart! Birthday wishes for kids Birthday wishes for kids should be fun and sweet. Let your kiddo know how special you think they are with one of these children’s birthday wishes. Happy birthday to such a fun and special girl! Hope you eat lots of cake and get everything you wish for. Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you–er than you! – Dr. Seuss Happy birthday to my little superstar. Grandma loves you! Wishing a very special fourth birthday to my awesome little man. Mommy loves you to the moon and back. Happy birthday to the coolest kid around. It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. – E.E.Cummings Inspirational birthday messages People often get bummed out about adding yet another candle to the birthday cake. Cheer up your recipient with one of these inspiring birthday wishes and quotes. On your birthday, I am so proud of you, my son. My wish for you is that you will always follow your dreams. The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune. – Pope Paul VI And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. – Abraham Lincoln We turn not older with years, but newer every day. – Emily Dickinson Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Youth is the gift of nature, but age is the work of art. – Garson Kanin Happy birthday to someone who inspires me on a daily basis. It takes a long time to grow young. – Pablo Picasso Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time. – Jean Paul Every year on your birthday, you get a chance to start new. – Sammy Hagar We have to be able to grow up. Our wrinkles are our medals of the passage of life. They are what we have been through and who we want to be. – Lauren Hutton The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. – Oprah Winfrey A birthday is just another day where you go to work and people give you love. Age is just a state of mind, and you are as old as you think you are. You have to count your blessings and be happy. – Abhishek Bachchan With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come. – William Shakespeare Birthday wish history: Greeting cards Greeting cards are the most popular way to express your birthday wishes. The custom of exchanging greeting cards is traceable back to ancient Egypt, where people shared greetings on papyrus scrolls. Europeans were exchanging handmade paper greeting cards by the early 15th century. By the late 1800s, following the introduction of the postage stamp and advances in printing, mass-produced greeting cards had become a popular way to exchange personal messages, including birthday wishes. The advent of color lithography in the 1930s further advanced the greeting card industry, and in the second half of the 20th century, the market for humorous and “alternative” greeting cards was born. Today, we not only have a vast array of commercial birthday greeting card choices, but we also have e-cards and companies that allow you to make and print your own custom greeting cards. Birthday wishes for a coworker Write one of these memorable messages in the card going around the office for your favorite workplace buddy. Wishing the happiest of birthdays to my officemate and good friend. Happy birthday! People like you make working at this place a lot more bearable! Ha! Hope you have an awesome day. Happy birthday. Where are we going for happy hour? Happy birthday and best wishes to the coolest boss around! Belated birthday wishes Oops! Did you forget to send a birthday card on time? Here are some classic belated birthday wishes and poems for forgetful birthday well-wishers. A little bird told me you were having a birthday. He just told me a little late. Happy belated birthday! Your birthday came, your birthday went Here’s the card I should have sent! I had this card all ready to send I must be going round the bend! To post it off, I clean forgot So did you get it? You did not! Well here it is, a day too late Please forgive me, sorry mate! Happy Birthday – a little late, I know. Would you believe that the card took the scenic route? Have a great year! This card took skill and talent And dedication to create And days of thought and craftsmanship It’s no wonder that it’s late! OK, so this card is late Landing on your mat But the others were bought in a shop How difficult is that? How do you expect me to remember your birthday when you never look any older? Milestone birthday quotations Milestone birthdays are especially momentous occasions and should not be treated like any regular birthday. Inspire your pal or tickle their funny bone by writing one of these wise milestone birthday quotations in their card. At 18, everything is possible and tomorrow looks friendly. – Jim Bishop Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. – Albert Einstein Live as long as you may, the first twenty years are the longest half of your life. – Robert Southey At twenty–one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable. – Orson Welles At 21 you can have it all―all the bills, problems and responsibilities of an adult. – Anonymous Everything I know I learned after I was thirty. – Georges Clemenceau When you turn thirty, a whole new thing happens: you see yourself acting like you parents. – Blair Sabol Thirty-five is a very attractive age; London society is full of women who have of their own free choice remained thirty-five for years. – Oscar Wilde The lovely thing about being forty is that you can appreciate twenty-five-year-old men. – Colleen McCullough The first forty years of life give us the text: the next thirty supply the commentary. – Arthur Schopenhauer What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of forty is simply a loss of energy. – Voltaire When I passed forty I dropped pretense, ’cause men like women who got some sense. – Maya Angelou Life begins at forty. – W. B. Pitkin Looking fifty is great––if you’re sixty. – Joan Rivers Middle age occurs when you are too young to take up golf and too old to rush up to the net. – Franklin Pierce Adams The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down. – T.S. Eliot I’m sixty years of age. That’s 16 Celsius. – George Carlin What I wouldn’t give to be seventy again! – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. At seventy-seven it is time to be earnest. – Samuel Johnson The advantage of being eighty years old is that one has many people to love. – Jean Renoir Each ten years of a man’s life has its own fortunes, its own hopes, its own desires. – Goethe The first hundred years are the hardest. – Wilson Mizner BONUS: Tips for writing your own birthday wishes Write from your heart; avoid using clichés that might come across as insincere. Include a personal detail or memory that makes the message unique to the person receiving it. Use your best handwriting – what’s a birthday wish worth if no one can read it? Write a short poem or fun birthday rhyme based on the person’s age. This is easier to do than it sounds. Example: Isn’t it nifty to be turning fifty? If you’re a good artist, include a decorative or funny illustration to add to the personalization of the card. A personal photograph can also make a cool cover for a handmade card. BONUS: Birthday card closings Before you seal that envelope, make sure you sign the card! But how should you sign it? It depends on your relationship to that person. Choose from the following romantic, friendly, fun, and formal birthday card closings. Best wishes, Love, Lots of love, All my love, Your friend, Your colleague, Yours, Cheers, Your son, Your daughter, Your wife, Your favorite niece, Make a wish!