--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I received a gift--it was the first…" description: "\"“I received a gift--it was the first decent piece of instruction about marriage I had ever been given in my 25 years of live. \"Does your husband make y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg" --- # I received a gift--it was the first decent piece of… ![“I received a gift--it was the first decent piece of instruction about marriage I had ever been given in my 25 years of live. "Does your husband make you a better person?” quote by Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg) > ““I received a gift--it was the first decent piece of instruction about marriage I had ever been given in my 25 years of live. "Does your husband make you a better person?”” [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A good marriage should improve each partner’s character. **In simple terms:** Does your husband make you a better person? Key Takeaway Seek growth through partnership. Themes marriage personal growth evaluation Mood thoughtful hopeful Type relationship philosophical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - relationship milestones - personal reflection Key Concepts relationship theory character development spiritual Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure personal improvement? - What signs indicate a healthy partnership? A Different Perspective Not all marriages foster growth; some stagnate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) ## Related quotes > [I don't come from family money, and neither does my husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-wickstead/i-don-t-come-from-family-money-and-neither-does-my-husband/) [Emilia Wickstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-wickstead/) > [“One night, he posed the question: Does your husband mind that you are chatting with me? New York Times Magazine, LIVES”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-k-friedman/one-night-he-posed-the-question-does-your-husband-mind-that-you-are/) Lisa K Friedman > [When I was in nursery school, the teachers asked me, y'know, 'What does your dad do for a living?' So I said 'He helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/when-i-was-in-nursery-school-the-teachers-asked-me-y-know-what-does/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [You might be a redneck if you work with a shirt off... and so does your husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-you-work-with-a-shirt-off-and-so-does-your/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [Marriage has given me the gift of compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-curry/marriage-has-given-me-the-gift-of-compassion/) [Ayesha Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-curry/) > [It is marriage, perhaps, which had given man the best of his freedom, given him his little kingdom of his own within the big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-is-marriage-perhaps-which-had-given-man-the-best-of-his-freedom/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [“I received a gift when you proclaimed, “I hate you.” It took me a year to understand that gift. It was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-received-a-gift-when-you-proclaimed-i-hate-you-it-took-me-a-year-to/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I haven't received the gift you haven't send.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarika-roy/i-haven-t-received-the-gift-you-haven-t-send/) Sarika Roy > [“Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baker-publishing-group/each-of-us-has-received-one-gift-after-another-because-of-all-that/) Baker Publishing Group > [Marriage has given me a little family of my own. We hold each other accountable, love each other, and always are there for each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-curry/marriage-has-given-me-a-little-family-of-my-own-we-hold-each-other/) [Ayesha Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-curry/) > [A person is always ready to favour him from whom he received a gift in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-person-is-always-ready-to-favour-him-from-whom-he-received-a-gift/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [At the creation of man and woman, unity for them in marriage was not given as hope; it was a command! 'Therefore shall a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/at-the-creation-of-man-and-woman-unity-for-them-in-marriage-was-not/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [“Then again, how could he expect Bela to be interested in marriage, given the example he and Gauri had given? They were a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/then-again-how-could-he-expect-bela-to-be-interested-in-marriage/) [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/) > [“It has been a very long time since I've received a gift as extraordinary as you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-carter/it-has-been-a-very-long-time-since-i-ve-received-a-gift-as/) [Aimee Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-carter/) > [“Claiming to be offended is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others: “Look at me! I'm a much better person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/claiming-to-be-offended-is-a-great-way-to-elevate-yourself-at-the/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) ## More by Ann Patchett > [She sang as if she was saving the life of every person in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/she-sang-as-if-she-was-saving-the-life-of-every-person-in-the-room/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [If I had problems, I kept them to myself. I didn't make a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-had-problems-i-kept-them-to-myself-i-didn-t-make-a-scene/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-t-write-the-book-i-want-to-write-but-i-can-and-will-write-the/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Without worry to protect me, every thought that came into my mind received real attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/without-worry-to-protect-me-every-thought-that-came-into-my-mind/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“I wrote the last sentence of The Patron Saint of Liars in early April and stumbled out of my apartment and into the beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-wrote-the-last-sentence-of-the-patron-saint-of-liars-in-early-april/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“In the future, he will try to say her name enough, but he never can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/in-the-future-he-will-try-to-say-her-name-enough-but-he-never-can/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [My novels are very much the same, as I think many people's novels are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/my-novels-are-very-much-the-same-as-i-think-many-people-s-novels-are/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“He was in love, and never had he felt such kindness towards another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/he-was-in-love-and-never-had-he-felt-such-kindness-towards-another/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Gen was sleeping the sleep of the heavily drugged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/gen-was-sleeping-the-sleep-of-the-heavily-drugged/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [If I was a waitress, I was too tired at the end of the day when I came home to try to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-was-a-waitress-i-was-too-tired-at-the-end-of-the-day-when-i-came/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“She didn't know how to hate her mother yet, but every time she left her father crying in the airport she came that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/she-didn-t-know-how-to-hate-her-mother-yet-but-every-time-she-left/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“When you think of love you think as an American. You must think like a Russian. It is a more expansive view.' 'Americans havea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/when-you-think-of-love-you-think-as-an-american-you-must-think-like-a/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“...Nebraska was white, a page as still as fallen snow. It was not crosshatched with roads, overrun with the hard lines of interstate systems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/nebraska-was-white-a-page-as-still-as-fallen-snow-it-was-not/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Clearly he needed a father, but some other father, any other father, would have been preferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/clearly-he-needed-a-father-but-some-other-father-any-other-father/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“I don't have any talent for vacations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-don-t-have-any-talent-for-vacations/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) [Explore all 413 Ann Patchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## More Better person quotes > [“Claiming to be offended is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others: “Look at me! I'm a much better person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/claiming-to-be-offended-is-a-great-way-to-elevate-yourself-at-the/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-bear/go-afield-with-a-good-attitude-with-respect-for-the-wildlife-you-hunt/) [Fred Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-bear/) > [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [A real good artist learns to be a better person through all the changes they've been through. They keep their loving and honesty growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradley/a-real-good-artist-learns-to-be-a-better-person-through-all-the/) [Charles Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradley/) > [I wasn't paid a dime for my track career. But participating in the Olympics gave me the opportunity to learn about different cultures; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyomia-tyus/i-wasn-t-paid-a-dime-for-my-track-career-but-participating-in-the/) Wyomia Tyus > [I'm a better person when I'm preparing for a role, when I'm studying a role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-m-a-better-person-when-i-m-preparing-for-a-role-when-i-m-studying-a/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I found myself thinking a lot about my own spirituality. What it means to be Jewish, what it means to forgive, what it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-found-myself-thinking-a-lot-about-my-own-spirituality-what-it-means/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [I found the emotion that as an athlete you block out, and it really helped me to understand myself as a person. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/i-found-the-emotion-that-as-an-athlete-you-block-out-and-it-really/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [I always try to see my weakness, work on it, to be better as a person and a player, everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-salah/i-always-try-to-see-my-weakness-work-on-it-to-be-better-as-a-person/) [Mohamed Salah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-salah/) > [Life is like a circle it has no end point and every turn is a challenge did you notice it a circle has every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-like-a-circle-it-has-no-end-point-and-every-turn-is-a/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I started running ultras to become a better person,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-shelton/i-started-running-ultras-to-become-a-better-person/) Jenn Shelton > [If you live with a single parent, you don't see compromise. You witness a grown person living in a world where they do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/if-you-live-with-a-single-parent-you-don-t-see-compromise-you-witness/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [I take no pleasure in seeing DeLay swing gently in the wind. But the thing I believe in the most is ethics. If someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/i-take-no-pleasure-in-seeing-delay-swing-gently-in-the-wind-but-the/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [Sometimes you have to steer away from the crowd in order to be a better person. It's not always easy, that's for sure. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/sometimes-you-have-to-steer-away-from-the-crowd-in-order-to-be-a/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/nobody-ever-feels-100-ready-when-an-opportunity-arises-because-most/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) [Browse all 980 Better person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I received a gift--it was the first decent piece of instruction about marriage I had ever been given in my 25 years of live. \"Does your husband make you a better person?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Patchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decent-piece-of-instruction-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Better person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decent-piece-of-instruction-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fae/ann-patchett-670_better-person_i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decen_2745405.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I received a gift--it was the first decent piece of instruction about marriage I had ever been given in my…” — Ann Patchett", "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 Patchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I received a gift--it was the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decent-piece-of-instruction-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-received-a-gift-it-was-the-first-decent-piece-of-instruction-about/#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 } } ] } ```