The Best 40th Birthday Wishes That Are Sweet and Meaningful

Every birthday is one to celebrate, however, for many people, the transition from their thirties to 40 is a big deal. It's not every year that someone turns the big 4-0 so it's worth pulling out all the stops when the time comes — yes, that means baking a birthday cake, splurging on gifts and writing a thoughtful birthday card filled with 40th birthday wishes.

That said, you may be stuck on what to write whether it's your sibling, parent, spouse or best friend who is turning 40. Not to worry, there are so many different options to choose from when it comes to filling out a card.

Ahead, we have come up with a list of 40th birthday wishes that you can use if a birthday is on the horizon and you're at a loss for words. And don't worry, you can personalize these messages as you see fit or use them as inspiration when filling out your own card.

Funny Birthday Wishes

• Happy birthday! The best thing about turning 40 is that you’ve done all the stupid, cringe-worthy stuff before the Internet was around to document it.
• Don’t lose hope just yet because you’re not officially middle-aged. Happy 40th!
• Remember now that you’re 40, you’re just 20 but with double the experience and double the wrinkles.
• You’re more fun than two 20-year-olds — and a heck of a lot smarter! I hope this next year is as wonderful as you are.
• Congrats on hitting classic status! You're not old, you're vintage and vintage things are super valuable.
• Welcome to 40, an age when you’re still young at heart, but other body parts are starting to falter.
• The older you get, the older I feel. So please stop getting older. Anyway, happy birthday!
• Forty, foxy, and only 20 years away from the senior citizen discounts! Happy birthday!
• Over the hill? Nah, you're just getting to the good part of the hike. The view's better and it's less crowded. Happy 40th!
• I hate to use the F-word, but … you’re forty! Happy birthday!
• At least you’re not as old as you will be next year.
• Age-appropriate behavior is highly overrated, and at 40, you've earned the right to be as inappropriate as you wish. Happy 40th birthday!
• Here's to FORTY: Flirty, Optimistic, Risky, Teasing and Youthful!
• Happy 40th. Let’s say for your sake, things only get better with age!
• Congrats on your very old age. Happy 40th birthday!
• Welcome to 40: the age when your back goes out more than you do!
• Don’t think of it as turning 40 years old. Instead, think of it as you becoming a classic.
• You’re not 40. You’re 18 with 22 years of experience! LOL!

Sentimental Birthday Wishes

• My life got better ever since I got to know you. I wish you an abundance of happiness and health on your 40th. Happy birthday!
• Remember you’re not getting older, you’re just getting better!
• I can’t believe you’re 40! Sending you happy birthday wishes for this new chapter in your life.
• You’ve achieved so much in 40 years, now the best is yet to come.
• Four decades of awesomeness is no joke! So here’s to forty more years of happiness, prosperity, and health!
• Wishing the best birthday celebration for the most wonderful person I know. I hope today and every day in the year ahead is as special as you are.
• In the story of your life, 40 is the chapter where it all starts to make perfect sense. Happy birthday!
• Wishing you all the love and happiness in the world on your 40th birthday!
• Here's to 40 more years of being the best person I know!
• You've done more in 40 years than most people do in their entire life. Happy birthday!
• The last 40 years have been the best ever because you were in them.
• Happy 40th birthday to someone who makes the world a better place by just existing.
• Happy 40th to the person who brightens any room they step foot into.

Birthday Wishes for Your Husband or Wife

• Older than yesterday but younger than tomorrow. Congratulations, better half, on your 40th!
• Happy birthday to the only person I want to grow old together with — and now, we're finally one step closer.
• You have been the best 30-year-old I knew, and you’ll be the best 40-year-old I will ever know. Welcome to your forties, darling. Happy birthday.
• The love and warmth I get from you are more than the world’s wealth. Forty looks fourteen on you. Happy birthday!
• You have always been a good-looking guy. Now you are an even better-looking older guy. Here’s to 40 more years of melting my heart with your charm!
• A young, loving, and caring man/woman is what I see in you every day. Happy 40th my love!
• Happy 40th, darling. Don’t forget to take out the garbage.
• Happy birthday! You’re now officially my favorite 40-year-old alive!
• Happy 40th birthday my dear! I can't wait to celebrate all day long with your favorite ice cream cake and movie.
• To my partner in crime, happy 40th birthday. I can't wait to see what shenanigans we get up to next!
• My love, happy 40th birthday. You've made every year we've known each other better than the last and for that I'm grateful.
• I'm so lucky to have you by my side in this life. Happy 40th birthday and here's to 40 more.
• Cheers to 40 years to the love of my life — the person I can turn to when I need a laugh or shoulder to lean on.

Birthday Wishes for Your Mom or Dad

• Sending the biggest birthday wishes your way Mom/Dad! We’ll be keeping an eye out for the signs of a midlife crisis. Happy birthday!
• Are you 40 or is that just the number of times you ask for help with your phone each day? Happiest of birthdays to you!
• You are incredible, and I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Happy 40th birthday, you deserve a wonderful day.
• Maturing doesn’t have to be boring, and you certainly aren’t. Thanks for filling my life with 40 years of fun. Happy birthday Mom/Dad
• Happy birthday Mom/Dad! I promise you don't look a day over 20!
• Health, success, and prosperity – all my best wishes on your 40th Mom/Dad!
• As you turn 40, know you’re valued and loved by us all. We wish you the best 40^th birthday and a fabulous start to a new decade.
• I'm so proud to be your daughter/son. Happy birthday Mom/Dad!
• I didn't get you a gift because I'm right here! Happy birthday Mom/Dad!
• Each year I become more amazed with all you continue to accomplish. Here's to 40 more years!
• Even after 40 years your intelligence and tact never seem to amaze me. Happy birthday Mom/Dad!
• Happy birthday to my biggest cheerleaders and the coolest parents I know — don't make me regret saying that! Happy birthday Mom/Dad!

Birthday Wishes for Your Son or Daughter

• My dear son/daughter, you are a remarkable child. Your forties will be just as amazing as you are.
• Let’s celebrate another decade of you making us proud of the man/ woman you’ve become. Happy 40^th birthday, my amazing son/daughter.
• Happy birthday! Maybe now that you’re 40 you’ll understand that we weren’t grumpy parents — we were just getting old.
• They say life begins at 40, but I think you’ve been living it up since you were born. Can’t wait to see how 40 and fabulous looks on you.
• Happy 40th birthday! No matter how old you get, you’ll always be our little boy/girl.
• No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby. Happy birthday to my darling son/daughter!
• I knew you were special from the day you were born. I'm so proud of you and all you've accomplished. Happy 40th birthday.
• 40 years ago my life changed for the better. Happy birthday my baby.
• Happy 40th birthday son/daughter. Watching you grow into a smart, beautiful and respectful individual has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
• I wouldn't change the past 40 years for anything. Happy birthday son/daughter.
• Each year I grow more and more proud of you and I'm honored to be your mother/father. Happy birthday son/daughter.

Birthday Wishes for Your Brother or Sister

• Maturing doesn’t have to be boring, and you certainly aren’t. Thanks for filling my life with 40 years of fun.
• We’ve celebrated so many of life’s milestones together. From graduating preschool to getting married and having kids, we’ve been right by each other’s sides. I’m so happy to celebrate another big moment with you. Wishing you the most wonderful day for your 40th birthday.
• As you enter this new decade, just know you are aged to perfection. Happy 40th!
• No matter how hard we fight, you will always be the best brother/sister in the world for me. Enjoy your forties. Happy birthday.
• Maturing doesn’t have to be boring, and you certainly aren’t. Thanks for filling my life with 40 years of fun.
• Good riddance. The 30s are over. 40 is where the real fun begins! Happy birthday!
• Happy 40 birthday! Don’t worry about getting older. You’re still gonna do dumb stuff — just slower.
• Ever since we were kids, I've looked up to you and still do all these years later. Happy birthday brother/sister.
• Don't expect a huge gift because I'm already in your life. Happy 40th birthday.
• Although four decades have gone by, you still can't dance, but I forgive you! Happy birthday!
• There's nothing like sibling love and it grows stronger with age if you ask me. I'm proud to be your brother/sister. Happy 40th birthday.
• You've finally hit the big 4-0. I've loved watching you grow into the person you are today and hope to follow in your footsteps.

Birthday Wishes for a Friend

• Well, would you look at that — you’ve managed to hit another milestone birthday. Happy 40th buddy!
• Dear friend, 40 years of life sure is something to celebrate! Thinking of you on this milestone birthday.
  
• Congrats on the big 4-0! Wishing you the best years ahead and a wonderful celebration.
• Cheers to 40 years! I hope your special day is filled with fine wine, a sweet birthday cake, and top-notch friends.
• The candles on your cake remind me of the encouraging light you shine on all those around you. Happy birthday!
• Sending love to my favorite person on your special day. Here’s to another great year!
• Happy 40th birthday to my ride-or-die. Can't wait to celebrate you on your big day.
• Who knew that two decades later our friendship would have turned into what it is today. Happy birthday friend, I'm grateful to know you.
• Happy birthday to my best friend! You've been there for me through thick and thin and I am so glad you're in my life.
• Life is better with you by my side although I may not always approve of your car song choices. Happy 40th birthday!

Birthday Quotes

• "Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind." ― Jackie Joyner-Kersee
• "Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years." — Ausonius
• "Life begins at 40."— Walter Pitkin
• "The first forty years of life give us the text: the next thirty supply the commentary on it" — Arthur Schopenhauer
• "The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been." — Madeleine L'Engle
• "You don't get older, you get better." — Shirley Bassey
• "To me, old age is always ten years older than I am." — Bernard Baruch
• "The way I see it, you should live every day like it's your birthday." — Paris Hilton
• "Youth has no age." — Pablo Picasso
• "Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter." — Satchel Paige
• "At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment." — Benjamin Franklin
• "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." — Lucille Ball
• "Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." — Plautus
• "Every birthday is a gift. Every day is a gift." — Aretha Franklin
• "We turn not older with years but newer every day." — Emily Dickinson
• “At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At 40, we don’t care what they think of us. At 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all.” —Ann Landers
• “Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.” — Victor Hugo
• “What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy.” — Voltaire
• “The first forty years of life give us the text: the next thirty supply the commentary.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
• “The best part about being over forty is we did most of our stupid stuff before the internet.”— Unknown

Annie O’Sullivan

Assistant Editor

Annie O’Sullivan (she/her) covers holiday, gift guide, travel, and lifestyle content at Good Housekeeping. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and previously reported for Runner’s World, NBC New York/NY 4 and Woman’s Day. Annie also has experience writing entertainment news and celebrity-focused content.