Good Wishes Messages: 48 Lines for New Starts, Hard Times, Milestones and Holidays

"Good wishes" are kind words that hope things go well for someone: a new job, a hard week, a wedding, a holiday. They are warmer and less formal than "best regards" and work on almost any card. If you need a line right now, these five fit most situations:

• Sending you my very good wishes today and always.
• Wishing you good things, big and small, in the weeks ahead.
• Good wishes to you and your family. I'm thinking of you.
• May the next stretch be kinder to you than the last one.
• With every good wish for whatever comes next.

Below are 43 more, 48 in total, sorted by what is happening in the other person's life. After them comes a short guide to the wording, how to write your own, and what to leave out.

Good Wishes, Best Wishes, Warm Wishes: Which One to Write

The three phrases mean nearly the same thing. The difference is tone and how well you know the person, and mixing them up is rarely a mistake. For a closer look at the most formal of the three, see what "best wishes" means.

Phrase	Tone	Good for
Good wishes	Kind, plain, a little traditional	Cards for family, neighbors, older relatives, anything you want to sound sincere rather than polished
Best wishes	Polite, slightly formal	Work cards, weddings, letters, sign-offs
Warm wishes	Friendly, personal	Holiday cards, thank-you notes, people you like but do not see often
Wishing you well	Gentle, low pressure	Someone who is ill, grieving or between jobs

Someone Starting Something New

A new home, a new school, a new job or a new city. Say that you believe in them and that the first weeks may be awkward. Avoid promising that everything will be perfect.

• Good wishes on your new home. May it fill up with the right people and the right noise.
• Starting something new is hard. I'm sending you every good wish for the first few weeks.
• Wishing you good luck at the new school. You'll find your people faster than you think.
• Good wishes on the new job. They hired someone good, and they'll know it soon.
• New city, new routes, new favorite coffee place. Good wishes for all of it.
• May the boxes unpack quickly and the first night feel like home.
• Whatever the new chapter looks like, I'm glad to be on your side for it.

Someone Going Through a Hard Time

Keep these short and free of advice. The person needs to hear that someone is thinking of them, not a plan. If they are grieving, the sympathy messages for the loss of a mother give gentler wording than a general good wish can. For longer notes of support, see encouragement messages for a hard time.

• Sending you good wishes and no expectations. Reply only if you want to.
• I'm thinking of you, and I hope today is a little lighter than yesterday.
• Wishing you strength for the hard parts and rest for the quiet ones.
• Good wishes for a gentle recovery. Take as long as you need.
• You don't have to be fine. I just want you to know I'm here.
• Wishing you good news at your next appointment, and good company until then.
• I can't fix it, but I can send every good wish I have, and I'm sending all of them.
• May this season pass quickly and leave you in one piece.

Someone Celebrating a Milestone

Graduations, promotions, engagements, a first baby. Congratulate first, then add the wish. A specific detail about the person's effort makes the line sound written for them.

• Congratulations on the promotion. Good wishes for the work ahead; you've earned the seat.
• Good wishes on your engagement. May the ordinary days be as good as the big one.
• Wishing you good health, long nights of sleep (eventually) and a very loved baby.
• You finished it. Good wishes for the next thing, but rest first.
• Congratulations on retiring. May your calendar finally belong to you.
• Good wishes on your anniversary. Here's to another year of the same two people liking each other.
• All my good wishes on the graduation. The hard part is behind you, and the interesting part is next.

Holidays and the Turn of the Year

These suit a holiday card, a group text or the line under a signature. For the Thursday in late November, Thursday greetings has lines for the week of Thanksgiving, and best wishes to all has wording for a card that goes to many people at once.

• Good wishes to you and yours this holiday season. May the table be full and the arguments be small.
• Wishing you good food, good company and a day with nowhere to be.
• Good wishes for the new year: fewer worries, more good Tuesdays.
• May the season bring you what you need, even if it's not what you asked for.
• Thinking of you at the holidays, and sending every good wish across the miles.
• Wishing you light on the shortest days and warmth on the coldest ones.

Saying Thank You or Signing Off

A good wish makes a tidy ending to a thank-you note, a work email or a letter. Pick one that matches how you spoke in the rest of the message.

• Thank you again for your help. With good wishes to you and your family.
• With sincere good wishes for the year ahead.
• Good wishes to the whole team, and thanks for making this one easy.
• Thank you for thinking of us. We send our good wishes right back.
• Wishing you all the good things you wished for me, and a few extra.
• Until we meet again, my very good wishes to you.

Short Good Wishes for a Text

Six lines that fit in one message bubble. Use them when a card would feel like too much.

• Good wishes today, friend.
• Thinking of you. All good things.
• Rooting for you, as always.
• Wishing you a good day and a better night.
• Sending good vibes and good wishes your way.
• Hope it all goes well. Tell me after!

Formal Lines for Letters and Cards

For a boss, a client, a teacher or an older relative you rarely see. Three is enough; formal wishes do not need to be long.

• With best and good wishes for your continued health and success.
• Please accept my good wishes for the days ahead.
• We extend our good wishes to you and your family at this time.

How to Write Your Own in Three Steps

1. Name the moment. "Your move," "the surgery," "the new job." A wish aimed at a real event feels like it was written for them.
2. Add one detail only you would know. A habit, a shared joke, something they worked hard on.
3. Finish with a short wish. One sentence is enough. "I hope it goes well" does more than a paragraph of adjectives.

Example: "I know you've been studying every night since July. Good wishes for the exam, and I'll have dinner ready afterwards." Swap in your own detail and it belongs to you.

What to Leave Out

• "Everything happens for a reason" or other comfort lines that dismiss how someone feels.
• Advice nobody asked for, especially to someone who is ill or grieving.
• A wish bigger than the relationship. A casual acquaintance does not need a paragraph.
• The same line copied into every card on your list.

Common Questions

What does "good wishes" mean?

It means you hope good things happen to the person. It is a kind, general phrase that fits both happy events and hard times.

What is the difference between good wishes and best wishes?

Almost none in meaning. "Best wishes" sounds slightly more formal and is common in work cards and letters; "good wishes" sounds a bit more personal and traditional.

What can I write in a card to send good wishes?

Name the occasion, add one personal detail, then end with a short wish: "Congratulations on the new house. Good wishes for the first night and every night after."

Is "good wishes" singular or plural?

Plural in nearly every case: "good wishes to you." The singular "a good wish" is correct but rare, and sounds like a single wish said aloud, such as at a birthday.