--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as “good fences make good…" description: "\"“Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear delineations of responsibility can prevent the kind of turf battles that break down staff relationshi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg" --- # Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear… ![“Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear delineations of responsibility can prevent the kind of turf battles that break down staff relationships.” quote by Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg) > ““Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear delineations of responsibility can prevent the kind of turf battles that break down staff relationships.”” [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clear, defined responsibilities reduce conflict and improve teamwork. **In simple terms:** Clear roles prevent conflict. Key Takeaway Set explicit responsibilities. Themes teamwork communication boundaries Mood collaborative practical Type advisory motivational When to use this quote - Project teams - Customer service - Cross‑functional groups Key Concepts Responsibility Conflict prevention Organizational health Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance clear duties with adaptability? - What boundaries help your team collaborate better? A Different Perspective Roles may be too rigid, stifling flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences/) [Good Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-neighbors/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [Good fences make good neighbors, and these were apparently good enough that they had not felt the need for razor wire at the top.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/good-fences-make-good-neighbors-and-these-were-apparently-good-enough/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Out yonder they may curse, revile, and torture one another, defile all the human instincts, make a shambles of creation (if it were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/out-yonder-they-may-curse-revile-and-torture-one-another-defile-all/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I don't think that writers have any responsibility to be good neighbors to the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-don-t-think-that-writers-have-any-responsibility-to-be-good/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [Find a partner, commit to taking action, and hold each other accountable. Helping our planet is not a one-person or one-country job; we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-grenier/find-a-partner-commit-to-taking-action-and-hold-each-other/) [Adrian Grenier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-grenier/) > [I've got everything I need: a nice piece of land with hawks and owls and incredible sunsets, and the good will of my neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-shavitz/i-ve-got-everything-i-need-a-nice-piece-of-land-with-hawks-and-owls/) Burt Shavitz > [And good neighbors make a huge difference in the quality of life. I agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/and-good-neighbors-make-a-huge-difference-in-the-quality-of-life-i/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) ## More by Duffy Robbins > [“Pushing a volunteer into a position for which he or she is not spiritually, emotionally, or temperamentally equipped is like trying to build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/pushing-a-volunteer-into-a-position-for-which-he-or-she-is-not/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [“Patterns of interaction are transmitted, more or less faithfully, from one generation to another. Thus the inheritance of mental health and of mental ill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/patterns-of-interaction-are-transmitted-more-or-less-faithfully-from/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [“Ministry with volunteer youth workers is not primarily about volunteers bringing refreshment to students, nor about youth pastors bringing refreshment to volunteers. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/ministry-with-volunteer-youth-workers-is-not-primarily-about/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [“We build loyalty not by giving out job descriptions and offices, but by giving ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/we-build-loyalty-not-by-giving-out-job-descriptions-and-offices-but/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [“the larger the staff, the more important it becomes to make sure responsibility is owned by individuals and not by the group.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/the-larger-the-staff-the-more-important-it-becomes-to-make-sure/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [“What feels like a family to those on the inside can feel like a clique to those on the outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/what-feels-like-a-family-to-those-on-the-inside-can-feel-like-a/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) > [“Mark DeVries observed that the church had become the place where teenagers “are most segregated from the world of adults.”2 Churches had unwittingly cultivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/mark-devries-observed-that-the-church-had-become-the-place-where/) [Duffy Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) [Explore all 8 Duffy Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/) ## More Fences quotes > [“He was guarded behind a hundred fences of reserve and anger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/he-was-guarded-behind-a-hundred-fences-of-reserve-and-anger/) [Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/) > [Israel is becoming a fortress. Fences along the borders with Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/israel-is-becoming-a-fortress-fences-along-the-borders-with-egypt/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [In a world without fences, who needs Gates?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcnealy/in-a-world-without-fences-who-needs-gates/) [Scott McNealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcnealy/) > [Safety is a fence, and fences are for sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/safety-is-a-fence-and-fences-are-for-sheep/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [One can't build little white picket fences to keep nightmares out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [ For me, that was a hard scene \[in "Fences"\] to do twenty-something times, which (laughing), I counted. That was difficult, but once I did… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/for-me-that-was-a-hard-scene-in-fences-to-do-twenty-something-times/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [“The one who breaks fences believes in freedom, no boundaries and universal browsing. Those who build them believe in setting rules for others and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/the-one-who-breaks-fences-believes-in-freedom-no-boundaries-and/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [“Have you ever noticed how many fences there're getting to be? And the signs they got on them: no hunting, no hiking, no admission,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/have-you-ever-noticed-how-many-fences-there-re-getting-to-be-and-the/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [The thing that happens is that politicians run on tough-on-crime rhetoric. You appeal to the public and say, 'Let's put more money into taller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/the-thing-that-happens-is-that-politicians-run-on-tough-on-crime/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [I stay away from heavy-handed stuff, the good guy and the bad guy. It just doesn't interest me; all it does is create more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-stay-away-from-heavy-handed-stuff-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-it/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [ You'll see some great performances \[in Fences\]. And I'm not just saying that because I directed it either! You'll see! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/you-ll-see-some-great-performances-in-fences-and-i-m-not-just-saying/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [He who rides and keeps the beaten track studies the fences chiefly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track-studies-the-fences-chiefly/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [These are human issues. These are human stories. I think that's why 'Fences' has been able to resonate and been able to hit so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hornsby/these-are-human-issues-these-are-human-stories-i-think-that-s-why/) [Russell Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hornsby/) > [I went to a performing arts high school, we learned Shakespeare, I did 'Fences.' When you train, you can do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/i-went-to-a-performing-arts-high-school-we-learned-shakespeare-i-did/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [“The people who build high, strong fences are the ones who survive the best. You deny that reality only at the risk of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-people-who-build-high-strong-fences-are-the-ones-who-survive-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Browse all 83 Fences quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear delineations of responsibility can prevent the kind of turf battles that break down staff relationships.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Duffy Robbins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-clear-delineations-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fences" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-clear-delineations-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/duffy-robbins-48990_fences_just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors_419792.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just as “good fences make good neighbors,” clear delineations of responsibility can prevent the kind of turf…” — Duffy Robbins", "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": "Duffy Robbins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-robbins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Just as “good fences make good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-clear-delineations-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-robbins/just-as-good-fences-make-good-neighbors-clear-delineations-of/#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 } } ] } ```