--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A \"good\" family, it seems, is one that…" description: "\"A \"good\" family, it seems, is one that used to be better.\" — Cleveland Amory" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/cleveland-amory-14747_better_a-good-family-it-seems-is-one-that-used_826965.png" --- # A "good" family, it seems, is one that used to be better. ![“A "good" family, it seems, is one that used to be better.” quote by Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/cleveland-amory-14747_better_a-good-family-it-seems-is-one-that-used_826965.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/cleveland-amory-14747_better_a-good-family-it-seems-is-one-that-used_826965.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/cleveland-amory-14747_better_a-good-family-it-seems-is-one-that-used_826965.png) > “A "good" family, it seems, is one that used to be better.” [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A family that has declined from a better past is viewed as lacking quality. **In simple terms:** Families can deteriorate over time. Key Takeaway Recognize and address decline. Themes family decline nostalgia quality Mood reflective somber Type observational analytical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - parenting - elder care - family reunions Key Concepts sociology family dynamics generational change Questions to Reflect On - What caused the decline? - Can the family be restored? A Different Perspective Improvement may be possible with effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Good family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-family/) ## Related quotes > [He wished he had inhabited more of his life, used it better, filled it fuller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/he-wished-he-had-inhabited-more-of-his-life-used-it-better-filled-it/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [At 83 Shaw's mind was perhaps not quite as good as it used to be, but it was still better than anyone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/at-83-shaw-s-mind-was-perhaps-not-quite-as-good-as-it-used-to-be-but/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [To say, "It used to be better," nobody can say, "Well, no it wasn't." It's like telling a story that is self-aggrandizing about someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/to-say-it-used-to-be-better-nobody-can-say-well-no-it-wasn-t-it-s/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [I can't tell you how many letters I've gotten where someone showed 'Sordid Lives' to their mom, dad, or family and used it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-shores/i-can-t-tell-you-how-many-letters-i-ve-gotten-where-someone-showed/) [Del Shores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-shores/) > [My family used to say, point-blank, 'We'd support you if we thought you could sing, or we thought you could write songs, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-doherty/my-family-used-to-say-point-blank-we-d-support-you-if-we-thought-you/) [Pete Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-doherty/) > [Food is a language that my entire family have used to communicate with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gok-wan/food-is-a-language-that-my-entire-family-have-used-to-communicate/) [Gok Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gok-wan/) > [I come from a lower-middle-class family and used to stay in a housing board colony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-rajesh/i-come-from-a-lower-middle-class-family-and-used-to-stay-in-a-housing/) [Aishwarya Rajesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-rajesh/) > [“Some people in our family used their Wiccan powers for to save lives, Gordo used them to help people practice safe sex. Not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-rousseau/some-people-in-our-family-used-their-wiccan-powers-for-to-save-lives/) [Eleanor Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-rousseau/) > [When I was a boy, my family used to watch a lot of Laurel and Hardy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/when-i-was-a-boy-my-family-used-to-watch-a-lot-of-laurel-and-hardy/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [Everyone in my family used to work with some kind of tool in their hands every day. That's what we do. 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We used to soak corn cobs in water so they wouldnt fly so far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-waner/our-sister-alma-was-the-best-hitter-in-the-family-we-used-to-soak/) Lloyd Waner > [I come from a huge family. I am used to taking orders and being told what to do and not having an opinion, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-newton/i-come-from-a-huge-family-i-am-used-to-taking-orders-and-being-told/) [Frances Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-newton/) ## More by Cleveland Amory > [There were three terrible ages of childhood - zero to 10, 10 to 20, and 20 to 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/there-were-three-terrible-ages-of-childhood-zero-to-10-10-to-20-and/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [Man has an infinite capacity to rationalize - especially when it comes to what he wants to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/man-has-an-infinite-capacity-to-rationalize-especially-when-it-comes/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [I have read a great deal about what animals dream, but none of it has ever really satisfied me. 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He survived but had trouble swallowing and often food came out of his nose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/the-national-park-service-shot-a-mule-in-the-face-he-survived-but-had/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [Giving the cat a name, like marriage, is not an easy thing. 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