---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Daughters,\" he told her as they dug…"
description: "\"“Daughters,\" he told her as they dug. \"Nothing better than a good daughter.”\" — Joyce Maynard"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg"
---

#  Daughters," he told her as they dug. "Nothing better than…

![“Daughters,&quot; he told her as they dug. &quot;Nothing better than a good daughter.” quote by Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg)

> ““Daughters," he told her as they dug. "Nothing better than a good daughter.””

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A daughter’s value is celebrated as a source of pride and emotional support during hard work.

**In simple terms:** Daughters bring pride and comfort.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge and cherish the contributions of daughters.

Themes

family support pride

Mood

warm appreciative

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- family projects
- teamwork
- community building
- personal growth

Key Concepts

gender roles emotional labor

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you show appreciation for your daughter?
- In what ways can daughters pursue their own goals?

A Different Perspective

Idealizing daughters may ignore their individual aspirations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Daughters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughters/)

## Related quotes

> [Happiness is about being proud of who you are. Be a good friend, be a good daughter, be reliable, be willing to laugh when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-foster/happiness-is-about-being-proud-of-who-you-are-be-a-good-friend-be-a/)

[Erin Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-foster/)

> [My idea for 'BoneMan's Daughters' came from the loss of my own daughter when she left home to live with a monster at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-idea-for-boneman-s-daughters-came-from-the-loss-of-my-own-daughter/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [“i’m very expressive. i deserve to feel pretty. i kissed the blarney stone. i am strong. i am brave. im a good friend. I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/i-m-very-expressive-i-deserve-to-feel-pretty-i-kissed-the-blarney/)

[Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/)

> [The daughter of a good mother will be the mother of a good daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-daughter-of-a-good-mother-will-be-the-mother-of-a-good-daughter/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [People say it takes a village to raise a child. People ask me how my daughter is doing. She’s only doing good if your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/people-say-it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child-people-ask-me-how-my/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

> [“He still didn't think I was good enough for you." "No father thinks any man is good enough for his daughter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-still-didn-t-think-i-was-good-enough-for-you-no-father-thinks-any/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [My parents always put more of an emphasis on who I was as opposed to what I achieved. They were never like, "You won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/my-parents-always-put-more-of-an-emphasis-on-who-i-was-as-opposed-to/)

[Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/)

> [“She was a great wife...and a wonderful mother, a good daughter, a devoted sister and a truly nice person, which doesn't sound like much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/she-was-a-great-wife-and-a-wonderful-mother-a-good-daughter-a-devoted/)

[Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/)

> [“He stopped at the base of the steps, turned her. "You're a good daughter." With a casual tap of his finger, he tipped up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-stopped-at-the-base-of-the-steps-turned-her-you-re-a-good-daughter/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [If you would have a good wife, marry one who has been a good daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/if-you-would-have-a-good-wife-marry-one-who-has-been-a-good-daughter/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [“She is too intelligent to be a good daughter-in-law”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/she-is-too-intelligent-to-be-a-good-daughter-in-law/)

[Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/)

> [“I'm a good girl. I'm a nice girl. I'm a straight-A, strait-laced, good daughter, good career girl, and I never stole anybody's boyfriend and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-m-a-good-girl-i-m-a-nice-girl-i-m-a-straight-a-strait-laced-good/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [I bet I would make a really good daughter-in-law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-atack/i-bet-i-would-make-a-really-good-daughter-in-law/)

[Emily Atack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-atack/)

> [“How angry am I? You don't want to know. Nobody wants to know about that. I'm a good girl, I'm a nice girl, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/how-angry-am-i-you-don-t-want-to-know-nobody-wants-to-know-about-that/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [I am proud that I am a good mother to my children, a good daughter to my mother, a good sister to my sis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynonna-judd/i-am-proud-that-i-am-a-good-mother-to-my-children-a-good-daughter-to/)

[Wynonna Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynonna-judd/)

## More by Joyce Maynard

> [The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/the-silence-was-part-of-the-story-i-wanted-to-tell/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [A person who deserves my loyalty receives it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/a-person-who-deserves-my-loyalty-receives-it/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [No, I said. I didn't remember that. There was so much to remember, sometimes the best thing was to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/no-i-said-i-didn-t-remember-that-there-was-so-much-to-remember/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“I tried to think of what my father would tell me. 'Don't let any boy give you shit.' But he'd never said how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-tried-to-think-of-what-my-father-would-tell-me-don-t-let-any-boy/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [Growing up in the fifties and sixties, I can only remember knowing one child, ever, whose parents got a divorce, and hardly any whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/growing-up-in-the-fifties-and-sixties-i-can-only-remember-knowing-one/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“She was in love with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/she-was-in-love-with-love/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I believe every one of us possesses a fundamental right to tell our own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-believe-every-one-of-us-possesses-a-fundamental-right-to-tell-our/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I compromised my ability to tell my story, at the most basic level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-compromised-my-ability-to-tell-my-story-at-the-most-basic-level/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I have no doubt that over the years my children will find plenty of things about me to criticize. But something tells me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-have-no-doubt-that-over-the-years-my-children-will-find-plenty-of/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I believed my story would be helpful to young women my daughter's age, who are still in the process of forming themselves as women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-believed-my-story-would-be-helpful-to-young-women-my-daughter-s-age/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [Not only did I avoid speaking of Salinger; I resisted thinking about him. I did not reread his letters to me. The experience had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/not-only-did-i-avoid-speaking-of-salinger-i-resisted-thinking-about/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/when-people-ask-what-i-write-about-that-s-what-i-tell-them-the-drama/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“They seemed to arrive at some form of friendship. Maybe they were like a couple of weary soldiers who went through a war together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/they-seemed-to-arrive-at-some-form-of-friendship-maybe-they-were-like/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [In the event of an oxygen shortage on airplanes, mothers of young children are always reminded to put on their own oxygen mask first,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/in-the-event-of-an-oxygen-shortage-on-airplanes-mothers-of-young/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

[Explore all 92 Joyce Maynard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Daughters,\" he told her as they dug. \"Nothing better than a good daughter.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joyce Maynard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothing-better-than-a-good-daughter/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothing-better-than-a-good-daughter/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/joyce-maynard-7181_children_daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothin_1144223.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Daughters,\" he told her as they dug. \"Nothing better than a good daughter.” — Joyce Maynard",
                "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": "Joyce Maynard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Daughters,\" he told her as they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothing-better-than-a-good-daughter/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/daughters-he-told-her-as-they-dug-nothing-better-than-a-good-daughter/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
