“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
Birthdays are milestones disguised as parties. These quotes capture the joy, nostalgia, and mild existential crisis that can all show up when you add another number. Good for cards, toasts, or just sitting with the strangeness of getting older.
“I hate birthdays. I hate birthday parties. I hate them. I don't know what it is, anybody's only got to come wafting near me with a piece of cake with a candle on and I break out in hives.”
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
“On my birthday, I was in Milan for the collections.”
“Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.”
“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.”
“I have had fans make me the big picture collages of the photo books I have had fans send me birthday cakes... sing to me on my voicemail. I have had fans flash me. I have had older fans give me their bras and underwear onstage.”
“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.”
“Some people won't go the extra mile, and then on their birthday, when no one makes a fuss, they feel neglected and bitter.”
“The Queen of Crafts herself, Martha Stewart, and I have the same birthday. I prefer to think it's the glue-gun wielding, perfect-tart-producing Martha and not the copper pan-throwing, jail-going Martha. But I suppose if I am going to share a calendar square with some of Martha, I have to share it with all of Martha.”
“As far as those kinds of things, I also played at the concert to call for the release of Nelson Mandela when he was a political prisoner in South Africa. We were celebrating his 70th birthday and calling for his release.”
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
“I trained to be a priest - started to. I went to seminary school when I was 11. I wanted to be a priest, but when they told me I could never have sex, not even on my birthday, I changed my mind.”
“I worked at an ice cream parlor called Chadwicks. We wore old-timey outfits and had to bang a drum, play a kazoo, and sing 'Happy Birthday' to people while giving them free birthday sundaes. Lots of ice cream scooping and $1 tips.”
“The reason I met my husband was because I remembered a friend's birthday. The moral of the story is: Remember people's birthdays.”
“New Year's Day is every man's birthday.”
“The day before my 16th birthday I got my guitar.”