--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He has sat on the fence so long that the…" description: "\"He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.\" — David Lloyd George" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png" --- # He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered… ![“He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.” quote by David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png) > “He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.” [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person who remains indecisive for too long becomes so entrenched that the stance becomes part of their identity. **In simple terms:** Indecision can become a defining, limiting trait. Key Takeaway Avoid prolonged indecision. Themes decision-making identity psychology leadership Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - business negotiations - personal relationships - career choices - public policy debates Key Concepts cognitive rigidity self‑concept political inertia Questions to Reflect On - What decisions have you delayed? - How can you break the fence‑sitting pattern? A Different Perspective Changing a deep‑seated habit is difficult and may face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entered Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entered-soul-751171/) [Fence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) [Fence Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence-long-1586089/) [Iron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron/) [Iron Entered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron-entered-1586088/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Iron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-iron-1586091/) [Sat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sat/) [Sat Fence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sat-fence-1586090/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a sky and trees, a high wire fence, a long road, and at the end of it you are there, waiting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/there-is-a-sky-and-trees-a-high-wire-fence-a-long-road-and-at-the-end/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [The soul of the river had entered my soul, And the gathered power of my soul was moving So swiftly, it seemed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-soul-of-the-river-had-entered-my-soul-and-the-gathered-power-of/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [A lovely spark entered my soul in disguise of you.. Which made my life cheerful.. My silence started singing a rhythmic tune.. My heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curly-girl/a-lovely-spark-entered-my-soul-in-disguise-of-you-which-made-my-life/) [Curly Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curly-girl/) > [The night was gone. The morning star was shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-night-was-gone-the-morning-star-was-shining-in-the-sky-i-too-had/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pool singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/there-will-come-soft-rains-and-the-smell-of-the-ground-and-swallows/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/coffee-arrived-and-the-espresso-was-excellent-like-an-aromatic/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [The first time I played golf was in Flushing Meadows, Queens, when I was about 16 or 17. They had an 18-hole pitch-and-putt. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/the-first-time-i-played-golf-was-in-flushing-meadows-queens-when-i/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Life is not that simple. That is why it is called life. That word includes both lie and if. Time to figure out which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/life-is-not-that-simple-that-is-why-it-is-called-life-that-word/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [My loneliness...still comes over me sometimes...It's a liminal, lost sensation of having wandered wide, endless boulevards, among rows of orange trees, winter butterflies, seasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/my-loneliness-still-comes-over-me-sometimes-it-s-a-liminal-lost/) [Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [She was gone, and all that was left was the space where you'd grown around her, like a tree that grows around a fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-was-gone-and-all-that-was-left-was-the-space-where-you-d-grown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I have yet to see someone attack Obama over his report card. A lot of people I talk to from both sides of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-have-yet-to-see-someone-attack-obama-over-his-report-card-a-lot-of/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/my-dreams-were-always-small-and-puny-all-i-ever-needed-was-a-little/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by David Lloyd George > [What do you want to be a sailor for? There are greater storms in politics than you will ever find at sea. Piracy, broadsides,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/what-do-you-want-to-be-a-sailor-for-there-are-greater-storms-in/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [No democracy has ever long survived the failure of its adherents to be ready to die for it. My own conviction is this, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/no-democracy-has-ever-long-survived-the-failure-of-its-adherents-to/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Liberty is not merely a privilege to be conferred; it is a habit to be acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/liberty-is-not-merely-a-privilege-to-be-conferred-it-is-a-habit-to-be/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Liberty has restraints but no frontiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/liberty-has-restraints-but-no-frontiers/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [With me a change of trouble is as good as a vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/with-me-a-change-of-trouble-is-as-good-as-a-vacation/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Do not be afraid of taking a big step-you cannot cross a chasm in two steps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/do-not-be-afraid-of-taking-a-big-step-you-cannot-cross-a-chasm-in-two/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [The man who tries to make the flag an object of a single party is a greater traitor to that flag than any man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/the-man-who-tries-to-make-the-flag-an-object-of-a-single-party-is-a/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Lucidity of speech is unquestionably one of the surest tests of mental precision...In my experience a confused talker is never a clear thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/lucidity-of-speech-is-unquestionably-one-of-the-surest-tests-of/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Sincerity is the surest road to confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/sincerity-is-the-surest-road-to-confidence/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Golf is the only game where the worst player gets the best of it. He obtains more out of it as regards both exercise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/golf-is-the-only-game-where-the-worst-player-gets-the-best-of-it-he/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [By thetest of our faith thehighest standard ofcivilization is the readiness to sacrifice for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/by-thetest-of-our-faith-thehighest-standard-ofcivilization-is-the/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Of all the bigotries that savage the human temper there is none so stupid as the anti-Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/of-all-the-bigotries-that-savage-the-human-temper-there-is-none-so/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [A politician is a person with whose politics you don't agree; if you agree with him he's a statesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/a-politician-is-a-person-with-whose-politics-you-don-t-agree-if-you/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [If you want to succeed in politics you must keep your conscience firmly under control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/if-you-want-to-succeed-in-politics-you-must-keep-your-conscience/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [You cannot trust the interests of any class entirely to another class; and you cannot trust the interests of any sex to another sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/you-cannot-trust-the-interests-of-any-class-entirely-to-another-class/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) [Explore all 74 David Lloyd George quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) ## More Fence quotes > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/my-dreams-were-always-small-and-puny-all-i-ever-needed-was-a-little/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [I have yet to see someone attack Obama over his report card. A lot of people I talk to from both sides of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-have-yet-to-see-someone-attack-obama-over-his-report-card-a-lot-of/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [She was gone, and all that was left was the space where you'd grown around her, like a tree that grows around a fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-was-gone-and-all-that-was-left-was-the-space-where-you-d-grown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [My loneliness...still comes over me sometimes...It's a liminal, lost sensation of having wandered wide, endless boulevards, among rows of orange trees, winter butterflies, seasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/my-loneliness-still-comes-over-me-sometimes-it-s-a-liminal-lost/) [Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/) > [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Life is not that simple. That is why it is called life. That word includes both lie and if. Time to figure out which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/life-is-not-that-simple-that-is-why-it-is-called-life-that-word/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [The first time I played golf was in Flushing Meadows, Queens, when I was about 16 or 17. They had an 18-hole pitch-and-putt. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/the-first-time-i-played-golf-was-in-flushing-meadows-queens-when-i/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/coffee-arrived-and-the-espresso-was-excellent-like-an-aromatic/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pool singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/there-will-come-soft-rains-and-the-smell-of-the-ground-and-swallows/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [I can't give you the white picket fence, and if I did, you'd set it on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-can-t-give-you-the-white-picket-fence-and-if-i-did-you-d-set-it-on/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Most folks are like a barb-wire fence. They have their good points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/texas-bix-bender/most-folks-are-like-a-barb-wire-fence-they-have-their-good-points/) [Texas Bix Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/texas-bix-bender/) > [“I ran straight into the wooden fence at the foot of the field. I was lucky that it had been a rail fence, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keeble/i-ran-straight-into-the-wooden-fence-at-the-foot-of-the-field-i-was/) [Helen Keeble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keeble/) [Browse all 673 Fence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Lloyd George" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the-iron-has-entered-his-soul/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the-iron-has-entered-his-soul/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/david-lloyd-george-9272_fence_he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the_140237.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.” — David Lloyd George", "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": "David Lloyd George", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He has sat on the fence...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the-iron-has-entered-his-soul/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the-iron-has-entered-his-soul/#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 } } ] } ```