40th birthday card messages and wishes

Forty is the birthday with the best jokes, because by now most people can take them. It's also the birthday where a bit of sincerity goes a long way, especially for anyone juggling work, kids and ageing parents at the same time.

Below you'll find 40th birthday wishes grouped by tone: funny, rude, heartfelt and short. Use one as written or as a first line, then add something only you would say.

For a milestone this size, it's worth writing the message somewhere else first. A card you've thought about for two minutes reads completely differently from one written on the doorstep.

Funny 40th birthday wishes

• Happy 40th. You're not over the hill, you've simply found a nice bench near the top. Shop this card
• 40 today. Your idea of a wild night now involves a bath and a documentary. Shop this card
• Congratulations on 40 years. You've officially started reading the back of the vitamin bottle. Shop this card
• Happy birthday. At 40 you know all the words to songs nobody plays any more. Shop this card
• You're 40, which means you can complain about your knees with full authority. Shop this card
• Forty years old and still pretending you can carry the shopping in one trip. Happy birthday. Shop this card
• Happy 40th. The good news is you've earned your opinions. The bad news is everyone's heard them. Shop this card
• You've reached the age where a good chair is a genuine event. Enjoy your 40th. Shop this card

Heartfelt 40th birthday messages

• Forty years of being someone people rely on. Happy birthday. Shop this card
• You've built a good life and you've done it your way. Enjoy your 40th. Shop this card
• Happy 40th to the person who holds everything together and never mentions it. Shop this card
• Here's to forty years, and to a decade with a bit more time in it for you. Shop this card
• You're kinder at 40 than most people manage in a lifetime. Happy birthday. Shop this card
• Whatever the next ten years bring, you'll make it look easy. Happy 40th. Shop this card
• Wishing you a birthday as good as you've been to everyone else. Shop this card

Short 40th birthday card messages

• Happy 40th. Still the best one here. Shop this card
• Forty and fabulous, obviously. Shop this card
• Here's to the big four oh. Shop this card
• 40 years, no regrets. Have a great day. Shop this card
• New decade, same brilliant you. Shop this card

Rude and cheeky 40th birthday messages

• You're 40. That's half your warranty gone. Shop this card
• Happy 40th, you absolute fossil. Shop this card
• Forty years old and still can't be trusted with a karaoke machine. Shop this card
• Congratulations, you're now old enough to be genuinely annoying about house prices. Shop this card
• Happy 40th. You look great, considering. Shop this card

Rude and funny birthday cards

For the friend who'd be offended by anything sentimental.

How to write it so it lands

• Draft the message on your phone first, then copy it neatly.
• If the card is going in a group, write the sincere line rather than the joke, someone else will do the joke.
• Mention the party, the meal or whatever's planned. It dates the card nicely.

Where to shop next

• 50th birthday wishes
• 30th birthday wishes
• All birthday cards
• Buy a birthday card online
• Scented soy candles

Frequently asked questions

What do you write in a 40th birthday card?

A joke about the decade, then something genuine about them. "Forty years of being someone people rely on, happy birthday" works for family, friends and colleagues alike.

What are good funny 40th birthday quotes?

Keep them short and about the decade rather than their looks. Lines about knees, early nights and strong opinions land well because most 40 year olds say them first.

What should you not write in a 40th birthday card?

Avoid anything about being past it, running out of time, or comparing them to someone else their age. Gentle ageing jokes are fine, but the card should still feel like a celebration.