--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good fences make good neighbors, and…" description: "\"Good fences make good neighbors, and these were apparently good enough that they had not felt the need for razor wire at the top. I crested the fence, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/dean-koontz-118_clotheslines_good-fences-make-good-neighbors-and-thes_1731612.jpg" --- # Good fences make good neighbors, and these were apparently… ![“Good fences make good neighbors, and these were apparently good enough that they had not felt the need for razor wire at the top. I crested the fence, threw myself into the yard beyond, fell, rolled to my feet, and ran with the expectation of being garroted by a taut clothesline. I heard panting…” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/dean-koontz-118_clotheslines_good-fences-make-good-neighbors-and-thes_1731612.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/dean-koontz-118_clotheslines_good-fences-make-good-neighbors-and-thes_1731612.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/dean-koontz-118_clotheslines_good-fences-make-good-neighbors-and-thes_1731612.jpg) > “Good fences make good neighbors, and these were apparently good enough that they had not felt the need for razor wire at the top. I crested the fence, threw myself into the yard beyond, fell, rolled to my feet, and ran with the expectation of being garroted by a taut clothesline. I heard panting, looked down, and saw a gold retriever running at my side, ears flapping. The dog glanced up at me tongue rolling, grinning, as though jazzed by the prospect of an unscheduled play session.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A daring escape leads to an unexpected encounter with a playful dog, turning danger into joy. **In simple terms:** Escaping danger, a friendly dog appears. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected allies in crises. Themes adventure danger companionship Mood playful hopeful Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - outdoor exploration - survival scenarios - animal encounters Key Concepts risk serendipity Questions to Reflect On - How can unexpected kindness change a perilous situation? - What does the dog symbolize in moments of fear? A Different Perspective The dog could distract from real threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Clotheslines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clotheslines/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Good neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-neighbor/) [Good Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-neighbors/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [You tend your garden and I'll tend mine. Good fences make good neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-tend-your-garden-and-i-ll-tend-mine-good-fences-make-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Mending Wall Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/mending-wall-something-there-is-that-doesn-t-love-a-wall-that-sends/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“My apple trees will never get across and eat the cones under his pines,I tell him.He only says,"Good fences make good neighbors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/my-apple-trees-will-never-get-across-and-eat-the-cones-under-his/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [In one line of his poem he said good fences make good neighbors. I'd like to think that Alaska and British Columbia working together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/in-one-line-of-his-poem-he-said-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-i-d/) [Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/) > [“He will not go behind his father's saying, And he likes having thought of it so well He says again, "Good fences make good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-saying-and-he-likes-having-thought/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“Good fences make good neighbors I fool and his money are parted Make hay while the suneshines ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-t-remember/good-fences-make-good-neighbors-i-fool-and-his-money-are-parted-make/) [DON'T REMEMBER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-t-remember/) > [Good fences make good neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/good-fences-make-good-neighbors/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [If nowhere else, in the relation between Church and State, "good fences make good neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/if-nowhere-else-in-the-relation-between-church-and-state-good-fences/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [“Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear delineations of responsibility can prevent the kind of turf battles that break down staff relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-clear-delineations-of/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [I don't want to know about the constitution of the rapist--I want to kill him! I don't care if he is white or black,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamanda-galas/i-don-t-want-to-know-about-the-constitution-of-the-rapist-i-want-to/) [Diamanda Galas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamanda-galas/) > [It's not hard to tell we was poor - when you saw the toilet paper dryin' on the clothesline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lindsey/it-s-not-hard-to-tell-we-was-poor-when-you-saw-the-toilet-paper-dryin/) [George Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lindsey/) > [Most reformers, like a pair of trousers on a windy clothesline, go through a vast deal of vehement motion, but stay in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/most-reformers-like-a-pair-of-trousers-on-a-windy-clothesline-go/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [“This is the difference between Eldric and me. Had it been my job to transform the garden, I would have removed the clothesline. Clotheslines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/this-is-the-difference-between-eldric-and-me-had-it-been-my-job-to/) [Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/) > [You might be a redneck if your daughter's Barbie's Dream House has a clothesline in the front yard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-your-daughter-s-barbie-s-dream-house-has-a/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [My happiest childhood memories are of times in our backyard. My mother had an old clothesline that hung out in front. It seemed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traci-lords/my-happiest-childhood-memories-are-of-times-in-our-backyard-my-mother/) [Traci Lords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traci-lords/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. 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You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. 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As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. 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But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Good fences make good neighbors, and these were apparently good enough that they had not felt the need for razor wire at the top. I crested the fence, threw myself into the yard beyond, fell, rolled to my feet, and ran with the expectation of being garroted by a taut clothesline. I heard panting, looked down, and saw a gold retriever running at my side, ears flapping. 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