--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET…" description: "\"“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton”\" — Kimberly McCreight" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg" --- # ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP… ![“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton” quote by Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg) > ““ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton”” [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to protect oneself with trivial barriers cannot keep deep fears at bay. **In simple terms:** Small fences won’t stop nightmares. Key Takeaway Address underlying fears directly. Themes psychology fear protection Mood introspective serious Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - self‑care - stress management Key Concepts boundaries vulnerability mental health Questions to Reflect On - What fears are you fencing out? - How can you confront them constructively? A Different Perspective Ignoring deeper issues can worsen anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anne-sexton/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Fences Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences-nightmares-2889475/) [Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares/) [Nightmares Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares-anne-5417353/) [Picket fences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picket-fences/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [I was trying my damnedest to lead a conventional life, for that was how I was brought up, and it was what my husband…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-was-trying-my-damnedest-to-lead-a-conventional-life-for-that-was/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Augustine, Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath are confessional writers and all three make me sick. I have nothing in common with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/augustine-anne-sexton-and-sylvia-plath-are-confessional-writers-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was seventeen years old. She was afraid to sleep alone and would begin asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-shared-a-bed-with-my-sister-grace-until-i-was-seventeen-years-old/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“Anne Sexton knows the mind, Walt Whitman knows grass, but Emily Dickinson knows everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/anne-sexton-knows-the-mind-walt-whitman-knows-grass-but-emily/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [I myself hate that old Hemingwayesque paradigm of the writer as prizefighter and I have tried hard to create an alternate one for myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-myself-hate-that-old-hemingwayesque-paradigm-of-the-writer-as/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“It was not uncommon to walk in the door of their home and find my mother sitting on the sofa reading over a manuscript…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-was-not-uncommon-to-walk-in-the-door-of-their-home-and-find-my/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Life, of course, never gets anyone's entire attention. Death always remains interesting, pulls us, draws us. As sleep is necessary to our physiology, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/life-of-course-never-gets-anyone-s-entire-attention-death-always-2/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [¢ Your silence has been with me and I have let it have its say. I feel, as always, the same closeness to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aroha-janet/your-silence-has-been-with-me-and-i-have-let-it-have-its-say-i-feel/) [Aroha Janet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aroha-janet/) > [I definitely notice the absence of character in most poetry, which is not so say that I'm an innovator in that regard. Character-based poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mccrae/i-definitely-notice-the-absence-of-character-in-most-poetry-which-is/) [Shane McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mccrae/) > [I love Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. I also love more cerebral poets like H.D. and Emily Dickinson. My parents subscribed to a monthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/i-love-sylvia-plath-and-anne-sexton-i-also-love-more-cerebral-poets/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [I've always loved the drama and the creating of a role and performance and all that comes with that, but I then also kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/i-ve-always-loved-the-drama-and-the-creating-of-a-role-and/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [And we carry onWhen our lives come undoneWe carry onCause there's promise in the morning sunWe carry onAs the dark surrenders to the dawnWe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/and-we-carry-onwhen-our-lives-come-undonewe-carry-oncause-there-s/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [My childhood was elegant homes, tree lined streets, the milkman, building backyard forts, droning airplanes, blue skies, picket fences, green grass, cherry trees. Middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/my-childhood-was-elegant-homes-tree-lined-streets-the-milkman/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [“I want to picket white picket fences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-want-to-picket-white-picket-fences/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) ## More by Kimberly McCreight > [ “...\[E\]ven I know that being a parent is awful ninety-five percent of the time...As far as I can tell, it's that last five percent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/e-ven-i-know-that-being-a-parent-is-awful-ninety-five-percent-of-the/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“One of the things that was great about my mom, as a mom, was that she always knew when she was being kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-of-the-things-that-was-great-about-my-mom-as-a-mom-was-that-she/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“So much of what people believe makes no sense, Wylie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/so-much-of-what-people-believe-makes-no-sense-wylie/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Barbara had stopped by the PTA office to talk to some of the mothers there, and she may have said a thing or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/barbara-had-stopped-by-the-pta-office-to-talk-to-some-of-the-mothers/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“I can live with you hating me for that. I'll have to. I can even live with you not hating him. Just dont forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/i-can-live-with-you-hating-me-for-that-i-ll-have-to-i-can-even-live/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Everyone has beacons. Lights that guide them home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/everyone-has-beacons-lights-that-guide-them-home/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“But the tour did remind me that my life had been bigger than just that one moment. One girl. One set of words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/but-the-tour-did-remind-me-that-my-life-had-been-bigger-than-just/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [ “...\[T\]here's a fine line between wild and full-on whack job.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/t-here-s-a-fine-line-between-wild-and-full-on-whack-job/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Clothes were to Sylvia what books were to me: the only thing that really mattered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/clothes-were-to-sylvia-what-books-were-to-me-the-only-thing-that/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Contrary to previous assumptions, maternal depression can also manifest in a myriad of ways, many far different from what some might consider traditional depressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/contrary-to-previous-assumptions-maternal-depression-can-also/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“No one wanted to talk to a mother whose only child had just killed herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/no-one-wanted-to-talk-to-a-mother-whose-only-child-had-just-killed/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“It was too late to change anything. Too late to make different choices. To be a better mother than she had been. Kate could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-late-to-make-different-choices/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been counting the minutes until I could forgive her. But it's a lot harder to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-wouldn-t-have-been-so-bad-if-i-hadn-t-been-counting-the-minutes/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Because there are 176 definitions for the word loser on urbandictionary.com. Don't Be a Statistic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/because-there-are-176-definitions-for-the-word-loser-on/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Staying home ended up being easier said than done. Kate had spent the first days after Amelia’s death surrounded by her three closest friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/staying-home-ended-up-being-easier-said-than-done-kate-had-spent-the/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) [Explore all 18 Kimberly McCreight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) ## More Dream quotes > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kimberly McCreight" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/kimberly-mccreight-29809_dream_one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fenc_2296773.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton” — Kimberly McCreight", "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": "Kimberly McCreight", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out-2/#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 } } ] } ```