diff --git a/docs/swupd.1.rst b/docs/swupd.1.rst
index b089f22c..73e42336 100644
--- a/docs/swupd.1.rst
+++ b/docs/swupd.1.rst
@@ -165,7 +165,10 @@ used to modify the core behavior and resources that swupd uses.
 
 -  ``--quiet``
 
-   Print only important information and errors.
+   Sets `swupd` to print a minimal and more stable output that is easier to parse
+   for its commands. Only the most relevant information and errors are printed out.
+   Output displayed when using this option is rarely going to change, so this is
+   a good option to use when writing scripts that use `swupd`.
 
 -  ``--verbose``
 
diff --git a/src/globals.c b/src/globals.c
index 98647e08..7f0b6789 100644
--- a/src/globals.c
+++ b/src/globals.c
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ void global_print_help(void)
 	print("   -j, --json-output       Print all output as a JSON stream\n");
 	print("   -y, --yes               Assume yes as answer to all prompts and run non-interactively\n");
 	print("   --allow-insecure-http   Allow updates over insecure connections\n");
-	print("   --quiet                 Quiet output. Print only important information and errors\n");
+	print("   --quiet                 Sets a minimal and more stable output that is easier to parse for swupd commands\n");
 	print("   --verbose               Enable verbosity for commands\n");
 	print("   --debug                 Print extra information to help debugging problems\n");
 	print("   --no-progress           Don't print progress report\n");