--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So people have to decide. Do they want to…" description: "\"So people have to decide. Do they want to have the security? Do they want to continue to plug the gap [in border security] that GAO has identified and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg" --- # So people have to decide. Do they want to have the… ![“So people have to decide. Do they want to have the security? Do they want to continue to plug the gap [in border security] that GAO has identified and recognize that there will be some costs to doing that? Or do we want to make sure that business isn't hampered and that people can move back and…” quote by Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg) > “So people have to decide. Do they want to have the security? Do they want to continue to plug the gap \[in border security\] that GAO has identified and recognize that there will be some costs to doing that? Or do we want to make sure that business isn't hampered and that people can move back and forth readily, and recognize that, if we don't put some barriers in place, we're going to wind up with dangerous people coming into the country?” [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Decision makers must balance security costs against economic freedom, weighing the risks of open borders versus the need for safety. **In simple terms:** Choose between security and easy movement. Key Takeaway Weigh security against economic impact. Themes security policy border control economic trade‑offs Mood strategic analytical Type policy political When to use this quote - Infrastructure planning - immigration law - business strategy Key Concepts Risk assessment public policy Questions to Reflect On - What is the optimal balance? - How to measure security benefits? A Different Perspective Security measures can hinder commerce and civil liberties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back and forth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-and-forth/) [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Border security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/border-security/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Gaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaps/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-decide/) [Plugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plugs/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Security Gao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security-gao-4561452/) [Security Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security-want-520423/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-security-520422/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“want to give him that security. I want to give him somewhere he absolutely belongs, you know? I want him to have my name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cambria-hebert/want-to-give-him-that-security-i-want-to-give-him-somewhere-he/) [Cambria Hebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cambria-hebert/) > [Is it security you want? There is no security at the top of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garet-garrett/is-it-security-you-want-there-is-no-security-at-the-top-of-the-world/) [Garet Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garet-garrett/) > [At Microsoft, we're investing heavily in security because we want customers to be able to trust their computing experiences, so they can realize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/at-microsoft-we-re-investing-heavily-in-security-because-we-want/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [I don't believe that the American people want us to focus on our job security. They want us to focus on their job security.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-believe-that-the-american-people-want-us-to-focus-on-our-job/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Human beings have a drive for security and safety, which is often what fuels the spiritual search. This very drive for security and safety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/human-beings-have-a-drive-for-security-and-safety-which-is-often-what/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [I think that whole aura of marriage and family is desirable, especially when you're involved in this kind of business. You want that security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-shipp/i-think-that-whole-aura-of-marriage-and-family-is-desirable/) [John Wesley Shipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-shipp/) > [People want security in this insecure world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bailey/people-want-security-in-this-insecure-world/) [David Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bailey/) > [There are doubtless all kinds of ways of explaining why people want security, but I do not think we can start with the psychological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/there-are-doubtless-all-kinds-of-ways-of-explaining-why-people-want/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Too many of my heroes have been cut down, but do I want security guards? No. I've been offered them in the past. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/too-many-of-my-heroes-have-been-cut-down-but-do-i-want-security/) [Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/) > [Most people want security in this world, not liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/most-people-want-security-in-this-world-not-liberty/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I don't want security guards. I don't think security guards are particularly good for your writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-e-smith/i-don-t-want-security-guards-i-don-t-think-security-guards-are/) [Mark E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-e-smith/) > [“...I don't want security - to be self-assured - I want to risk my heart in making your portrait and be paid the wages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-don-t-want-security-to-be-self-assured-i-want-to-risk-my-heart-in/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [You want security? I'll make you pay. You want warmth? I'll burn down your house. You want loyalty? I'm thinking of how it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-want-security-i-ll-make-you-pay-you-want-warmth-i-ll-burn-down/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't agree with the libertarians. I want my security first. I'll deal with all the details after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-lott/i-don-t-agree-with-the-libertarians-i-want-my-security-first-i-ll/) [Trent Lott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-lott/) > [Many businesses in Yorkshire want the security and stability of Britain's continued membership of the European Union, a cause I look forward to championing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/many-businesses-in-yorkshire-want-the-security-and-stability-of/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) ## More by Michael Chertoff > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [So that's why I said, if you look at the average, you would see the money New York got this year was in line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/so-that-s-why-i-said-if-you-look-at-the-average-you-would-see-the/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [The second thing we did was said, OK, we've now identified the risk, but what do you want to do with the money? Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/the-second-thing-we-did-was-said-ok-we-ve-now-identified-the-risk-but/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [First, we did rank everybody by risk, and New York comes out number one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/first-we-did-rank-everybody-by-risk-and-new-york-comes-out-number-one/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [Well, I mean, Congress did originally set the formula for the state grants, and they guaranteed every state a minimum formula. So that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/well-i-mean-congress-did-originally-set-the-formula-for-the-state/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [I'm sometimes asked why it is that for 30 years we seem to have trouble in the United States enforcing the rules against illegal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/i-m-sometimes-asked-why-it-is-that-for-30-years-we-seem-to-have/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [The fact that we have not had a terrorist attack in this country in the last six years is not a cause for complacency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/the-fact-that-we-have-not-had-a-terrorist-attack-in-this-country-in/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [We always monitor the flow of information, intelligence, threat streams to see whether we have any indication there's some imminent. We work hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/we-always-monitor-the-flow-of-information-intelligence-threat-streams/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [Al Qaeda is very media-savvy and very focused on what goes on in the global media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/al-qaeda-is-very-media-savvy-and-very-focused-on-what-goes-on-in-the/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [But I think the bottom line right now is to take the constructive criticism and use that to build toward, as I say, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/but-i-think-the-bottom-line-right-now-is-to-take-the-constructive/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [The larger point is this: We've invested over half a billion dollars in New York since this department was stood up. We've given New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/the-larger-point-is-this-we-ve-invested-over-half-a-billion-dollars/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [And here where the fact that we've given over half a billion dollars to New York really plays a role, because New York has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/and-here-where-the-fact-that-we-ve-given-over-half-a-billion-dollars/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [Even the kinds of ingredients you can find in your own kitchen can be used to make bombs. So the problem is with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/even-the-kinds-of-ingredients-you-can-find-in-your-own-kitchen-can-be/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [And one of the things I want to say, Wolf, is we're 100 days from hurricane season, and we've got to start focusing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/and-one-of-the-things-i-want-to-say-wolf-is-we-re-100-days-from/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the convention center who don't have food and water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/i-have-not-heard-a-report-of-thousands-of-people-in-the-convention/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) [Explore all 37 Michael Chertoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) ## More Back and forth quotes > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [I think my work comes out of both an intense desire for connection and what it means to feel isolated. There's always going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-my-work-comes-out-of-both-an-intense-desire-for-connection/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [It is an intimately communicative affair between the painter and his painting, a conversation back and forth, the painting telling the painter even as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shahn/it-is-an-intimately-communicative-affair-between-the-painter-and-his/) [Ben Shahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shahn/) > [Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' A leader who fluctuates back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/belief-in-oneself-is-a-crucial-quality-of-leadership-because-a-house/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [CS: I always say there's a tribal element in a rock concert. There's a real back-and-forth thing that goes on between the audience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stein/cs-i-always-say-there-s-a-tribal-element-in-a-rock-concert-there-s-a/) [Chris Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stein/) > [I'm a southern girl, and I grew up with this slightly schizophrenic upbringing where I bounced back and forth between Atlanta, Georgia, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/i-m-a-southern-girl-and-i-grew-up-with-this-slightly-schizophrenic/) [Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/) > [Originally, one of the reasons I was drawn to photography, as opposed to painting or sculpture or installation, is that of all the arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/originally-one-of-the-reasons-i-was-drawn-to-photography-as-opposed/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [Until presence becomes your predominant state, you may find yourself moving back and forth for a while between the old consciousness and the new,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/until-presence-becomes-your-predominant-state-you-may-find-yourself/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Real communication is an attitude, an environment. It is the most interactive of all processes. It requires countless hours of eyeball to eyeball, back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/real-communication-is-an-attitude-an-environment-it-is-the-most/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [People jump back and forth in pursuit of pleasures only because they see the emptiness of their lives more clearly than they do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/people-jump-back-and-forth-in-pursuit-of-pleasures-only-because-they/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [How long were the stretches of toilsome tacking back and forth, of being blocked, of being thrown back again and again. But all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-kollwitz/how-long-were-the-stretches-of-toilsome-tacking-back-and-forth-of/) [Kathe Kollwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-kollwitz/) > [The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-relationship-with-the-words-someone-uses-is-more-intimate-and/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [ One day he \[Wagner\] was batting against a young pitcher who had just come into the league. The catcher was a kid, too .… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burleigh-grimes/one-day-he-wagner-was-batting-against-a-young-pitcher-who-had-just/) [Burleigh Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burleigh-grimes/) > [If I were just to read briefing books or I were just to engage in the political back and forth, would I have heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-were-just-to-read-briefing-books-or-i-were-just-to-engage-in-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [ Writing two stories \[in the Thorn and the Blossom\] about the same set of events that were complete stories in themselves, but also added… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/writing-two-stories-in-the-thorn-and-the-blossom-about-the-same-set/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) [Browse all 224 Back and forth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-and-forth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So people have to decide. Do they want to have the security? Do they want to continue to plug the gap [in border security] that GAO has identified and recognize that there will be some costs to doing that? Or do we want to make sure that business isn't hampered and that people can move back and forth readily, and recognize that, if we don't put some barriers in place, we're going to wind up with dangerous people coming into the country?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Chertoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to-have-the-security-do-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back and forth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to-have-the-security-do-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/michael-chertoff-17447_back-and-forth_so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to_2157303.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So people have to decide. Do they want to have the security? Do they want to continue to plug the gap [in…” — Michael Chertoff", "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": "Michael Chertoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So people have to decide. Do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to-have-the-security-do-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/so-people-have-to-decide-do-they-want-to-have-the-security-do-they/#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 } } ] } ```