--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance…" description: "\"My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance Co. in town, which was started by his great-grandfather. My mother, Dolores, was a homemaker who kept an eye on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg" --- # My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance Co. in town, which… ![“My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance Co. in town, which was started by his great-grandfather. My mother, Dolores, was a homemaker who kept an eye on all of us.” quote by Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg) > “My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance Co. in town, which was started by his great-grandfather. My mother, Dolores, was a homemaker who kept an eye on all of us.” [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A recount of a family’s multi‑generational insurance business and a mother’s role as homemaker. **In simple terms:** Family history and parental roles shape personal identity. Key Takeaway Family background influences values and work ethic. Themes Acknowledge and honor family contributions. Mood How does your family history affect your choices? What lessons can you draw from parental roles? Type nostalgic informative When to use this quote - intergenerational business - home economics - identity formation Key Concepts family legacy work gender roles Questions to Reflect On - Family stories can be idealized - not all families have such continuity. A Different Perspective family reunion;business succession planning;heritage preservation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Great grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-grandfather/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [The great-great-grandfather of my mother was probably using gelatins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-great-great-grandfather-of-my-mother-was-probably-using-gelatins/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She could not bear the thought. She simply could not bear the thought that she might somehow prove to her grandfather that her mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/she-could-not-bear-the-thought-she-simply-could-not-bear-the-thought/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [My grandfather and mother were school teachers, so there was always some discussion around books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-murty/my-grandfather-and-mother-were-school-teachers-so-there-was-always/) [Sudha Murty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-murty/) > [My grandfather on my mother's side was a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; my other grandfather was a lawyer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-g-wilson/my-grandfather-on-my-mother-s-side-was-a-professor-of-mechanical/) [Kenneth G. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-g-wilson/) > [People can't believe how hard I work… I love it. I think it just runs through my veins. My great-grandfather was a bellboy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/people-can-t-believe-how-hard-i-work-i-love-it-i-think-it-just-runs/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [When anything bad happens to me or someone I know, I always know who to blame. My no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/when-anything-bad-happens-to-me-or-someone-i-know-i-always-know-who/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [They were indeed what was known as 'old money', which meant that it had been made so long ago that the black deeds which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/they-were-indeed-what-was-known-as-old-money-which-meant-that-it-had/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [To my great-grandfather I owed the advice to dispense with the education of the schools and have good masters at home instead - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/to-my-great-grandfather-i-owed-the-advice-to-dispense-with-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [To a small child, the perfect granddad is unafraid of big dogs and fierce storms but absolutely terrified of the word "boo."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/to-a-small-child-the-perfect-granddad-is-unafraid-of-big-dogs-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [We will never forget those like my great-grandfather who fought at Vicksburg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-will-never-forget-those-like-my-great-grandfather-who-fought-at/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [My great-grandfather was a variety hall comedian called Billy Mack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/my-great-grandfather-was-a-variety-hall-comedian-called-billy-mack/) [Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/) > [My great-great-grandfather Julius founded the Communist Party in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armie-hammer/my-great-great-grandfather-julius-founded-the-communist-party-in-new/) [Armie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armie-hammer/) > [I don't have a traditional design background, but it's inherent to me. My father was in the fabric industry, and even my grandfather and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-bendet/i-don-t-have-a-traditional-design-background-but-it-s-inherent-to-me/) [Stacey Bendet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-bendet/) > [My dad died, and my grandfather died, and my great-grandfather died. And the guy before him, I don't know. Probably died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/my-dad-died-and-my-grandfather-died-and-my-great-grandfather-died-and/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) ## More by Ann Dowd > [The great thing about an independent film is that you're too busy working, and you're too busy hoping to God to get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-great-thing-about-an-independent-film-is-that-you-re-too-busy/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The day after Trump was elected, I happened to be home in New York. I went to bed for the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-day-after-trump-was-elected-i-happened-to-be-home-in-new-york-i/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [It's a question of dropping the armor and getting up and doing the work you want to do. And film at first is frightening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-question-of-dropping-the-armor-and-getting-up-and-doing-the/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [When I won the Emmy, the profound sense of gratitude when my name was said I cannot express enough. It was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/when-i-won-the-emmy-the-profound-sense-of-gratitude-when-my-name-was/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [It's a funny thing about being raised Catholic and then going to Catholic schools with nuns - the cliche about the mean nun was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-funny-thing-about-being-raised-catholic-and-then-going-to/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Wherever the career wasn't going the way I wanted it to, I would experience those disappointments, and I would put them somewhere where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/wherever-the-career-wasn-t-going-the-way-i-wanted-it-to-i-would/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [When I was pregnant with my first child, I was 35 years old, and I was working in a pet shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/when-i-was-pregnant-with-my-first-child-i-was-35-years-old-and-i-was/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Forgiveness, in some cases, is a flipping miracle in the sense that you're fighting, and suddenly something happens. It's a kind of grace. Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/forgiveness-in-some-cases-is-a-flipping-miracle-in-the-sense-that-you/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [I guess getting older has its benefits, one of them being perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-guess-getting-older-has-its-benefits-one-of-them-being-perspective/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The Leftovers was an absolutely extraordinary experience. After the first season of learning to work with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-leftovers-was-an-absolutely-extraordinary-experience-after-the/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [In general, between an actor and a character, there needs to be a falling in love, if you will - which I'm saying in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/in-general-between-an-actor-and-a-character-there-needs-to-be-a/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [My parents were strict but loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/my-parents-were-strict-but-loving/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [I look at all these wonderful actors who are out of work, and I don't know what accounts for my good fortune, but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-look-at-all-these-wonderful-actors-who-are-out-of-work-and-i-don-t/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The first 10 years of my education were spent at a Catholic school in Springfield, Mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-first-10-years-of-my-education-were-spent-at-a-catholic-school-in/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The lovely thing is that now being offered things is just a blast. In the beginning, I'd be offered something and be like, "What?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-lovely-thing-is-that-now-being-offered-things-is-just-a-blast-in/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) [Explore all 48 Ann Dowd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) ## More Eye quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/clearly-when-we-baptize-our-eyes-should-gaze-beyond-the-baptismal/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [It lies around us like a cloud- A world we do not see; Yet the sweet closing of an eye May bring us there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-lies-around-us-like-a-cloud-a-world-we-do-not-see-yet-the-sweet/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) Browse all 16,237 Eye quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance Co. in town, which was started by his great-grandfather. My mother, Dolores, was a homemaker who kept an eye on all of us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Dowd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co-in-town-which-was-started-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eye" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co-in-town-which-was-started-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/ann-dowd-14124_eye_my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co_1637268.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My father, John, ran the Dowd Insurance Co. in town, which was started by his great-grandfather. My mother…” — Ann Dowd", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ann Dowd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My father, John, ran the Dowd...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co-in-town-which-was-started-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/my-father-john-ran-the-dowd-insurance-co-in-town-which-was-started-by/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```