Common Quote by Jeh Johnson
“If you build - if you spend billions of taxpayer dollars to build a wall over, let's say, a mountain, if you build a 10-foot wall over a 10,000-foot mountain, and someone is determined to climb the 10,000-foot mountain, they're not going to be deterred by the 10-foot wall. It's a matter of common sense.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public remarks on border security, 2017
Physical barriers are ineffective against determined effort; obstacles must match the challenge's scale.
In simple terms: Walls can't stop determined people.
Key Takeaway
Address the root cause, not just the symptom.
Themes
security
determination
policy
infrastructure
Mood
critical
pragmatic
Type
political
policy
strategic
When to use this quote
- immigration control
- border security planning
- infrastructure projects
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
deterrence
cost‑benefit analysis
human ingenuity
Questions to Reflect On
- What underlying motivations drive people to overcome barriers?
- How can policy address root causes rather than superficial fixes?
A Different Perspective
A wall may be symbolic but doesn't solve underlying issues.
![“Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a [Soviet socialistic] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants, lands, banks, means of transportation, etc., remain untouched there, and, therefore, capitalism in Germany and Italy…” quote by Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/411/joseph-stalin-1734_capitalism_neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-natio_1430.jpg)
