--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He will not go behind his father's…" description: "\"“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 neighbors.”\" — Robert Frost" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg" --- # He will not go behind his father's saying, And he likes… ![“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 neighbors.” quote by Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg) > ““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 neighbors.”” [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A proverb suggests boundaries foster good relations, yet the speaker questions its relevance. **In simple terms:** Good fences may keep peace, but they can also limit connection. Key Takeaway Reevaluate the need for unnecessary barriers. Themes relationships tradition boundaries communication Mood contemplative critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - family disputes - neighborhood relations - workplace policies - personal boundaries Key Concepts Social contract personal autonomy community dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When have you accepted a rule without questioning? - What benefits might arise from removing a barrier? A Different Perspective Blindly following old sayings can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences/) [Good Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-neighbors/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbors/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [There are some issues where we have common interests with Germany, there are some others that we don't... The diplomacy between good neighbors doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-duda/there-are-some-issues-where-we-have-common-interests-with-germany/) [Andrzej Duda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-duda/) > [Life in the mid-21st century is going to be about living locally. Be prepared to be good neighbors. Be prepared to find vocations that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/life-in-the-mid-21st-century-is-going-to-be-about-living-locally-be/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [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/) > [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/) > [He is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-is-all-pine-and-i-am-apple-orchard-my-apple-trees-will-never-get/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## More by Robert Frost > [The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn't stop until you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-brain-is-a-wonderful-organ-it-starts-working-when-you-get-up-in/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [When I see birches bend to left and right... I like to think some boy's been swinging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/when-i-see-birches-bend-to-left-and-right-i-like-to-think-some-boy-s/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Lord, I have loved Your sky, Be it said against or for me, Have loved it clear and high, Or low and stormy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lord-i-have-loved-your-sky-be-it-said-against-or-for-me-have-loved-it/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/let-him-that-is-without-stone-among-you-cast-the-first-thing-he-can/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It is only a moment here and a moment there that the greatest writer has. Some cognizance of the fact must be taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-is-only-a-moment-here-and-a-moment-there-that-the-greatest-writer/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/and-of-course-there-must-be-something-wrong-in-wanting-to-silence-any/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-are-two-kinds-of-teachers-the-kind-that-fill-you-with-so-much/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple's a rose, And the pear is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-rose-is-a-rose-and-was-always-a-rose-but-now-the-theory-goes-that/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/forgive-o-lord-my-little-jokes-on-thee-and-i-ll-forgive-thy-great-big/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The footpath down to the well is healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-footpath-down-to-the-well-is-healed/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It's God - I recognised him from Blake's picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-s-god-i-recognised-him-from-blake-s-picture/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Create and stir other people to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/create-and-stir-other-people-to-create/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) [Explore all 624 Robert Frost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## 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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) [Browse all 83 Fences quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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 neighbors.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Frost" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-saying-and-he-likes-having-thought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fences" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-saying-and-he-likes-having-thought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/robert-frost-371_fences_he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-sayin_2074002.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He will not go behind his father's saying, And he likes having thought of it so well He says again, \"Good…” — Robert Frost", "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": "Robert Frost", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He will not go behind his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-saying-and-he-likes-having-thought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-saying-and-he-likes-having-thought/#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 } } ] } ```