--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let me explain something you already…" description: "\"Let me explain something you already know. I'm from Texas and we understand the nature of a border. From what I've seen, vigilant Texans are being orde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg" --- # Let me explain something you already know. I'm from Texas… ![“Let me explain something you already know. I'm from Texas and we understand the nature of a border. From what I've seen, vigilant Texans are being ordered to stand down and allow criminals to pass. Mr. President, prepare to see Texans ignoring those orders.” quote by Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg) > “Let me explain something you already know. I'm from Texas and we understand the nature of a border. From what I've seen, vigilant Texans are being ordered to stand down and allow criminals to pass. Mr. President, prepare to see Texans ignoring those orders.” [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Texans, aware of border realities, are being told to stand down, yet they may defy orders to protect their communities from criminals. **In simple terms:** Texans may ignore orders to defend borders. Key Takeaway Consider local knowledge when making security decisions. Themes border security authority local knowledge Mood defiant concerned Type political ethical When to use this quote - law enforcement - political activism - local governance - civil disobedience Key Concepts political science community defense Questions to Reflect On - Should citizens obey orders that conflict with local safety? - What are the risks of taking independent action? A Different Perspective Defying orders can lead to legal consequences and escalation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Disobedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disobedience/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Let me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-me/) [Migration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migration/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Prepare Texans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepare-texans-4430010/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Texan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texan/) [Texans Ignoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texans-ignoring-4430009/) [Texans Ordered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texans-ordered-4430007/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) [Texas Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas-understand-4430008/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Vigilant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigilant/) [Vigilant Texans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigilant-texans-4430006/) ## Related quotes > [With all due respect to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, neither of them understand Texas, nor do they understand the U.S.-Mexico border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beto-o-rourke/with-all-due-respect-to-nancy-pelosi-and-chuck-schumer-neither-of/) [Beto O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beto-o-rourke/) > [Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study, and the passionate possession of all Texans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/rich-poor-panhandle-gulf-city-country-texas-is-the-obsession-the/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [To the goggling unbeliever Texans say, as people always say about their mangier dishes, 'But it's just like chicken, only tenderer.' Rattlesnake is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-the-goggling-unbeliever-texans-say-as-people-always-say-about/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [If you've ever driven across Texas, you know how different one area of the state can be from another. Take El Paso. It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/if-you-ve-ever-driven-across-texas-you-know-how-different-one-area-of/) [Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/) > [Texans don't bury their failures. They get inspired by them. They take their failures and turn them into rallying cries. Failure inspires Texans to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/texans-don-t-bury-their-failures-they-get-inspired-by-them-they-take/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [We are witnessing a great awakening. Millions of Texans, millions of Americans are rising up to reclaim our country, to defend liberty and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-are-witnessing-a-great-awakening-millions-of-texans-millions-of/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The foundation for future prosperity is built on the bedrock of good jobs and great schools. We are building a strong foundation one job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-foundation-for-future-prosperity-is-built-on-the-bedrock-of-good/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [Those blue eyes glinted with uncivilized suggestion. A faint smile was tucked in the corner of his wide mouth. Definitely wouldn't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/those-blue-eyes-glinted-with-uncivilized-suggestion-a-faint-smile-was/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [I've definitely seen that Texas is certainly a right-wing area politically. I think if you talk to the average Texan, some people may still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-metcalfe/i-ve-definitely-seen-that-texas-is-certainly-a-right-wing-area/) [Jesse Metcalfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-metcalfe/) > [Texas is not a civilized place. Texans shoot one another a lot. They also knife, razor, and stomp one another to death with some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/texas-is-not-a-civilized-place-texans-shoot-one-another-a-lot-they/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [I feel blessed to have been raised a Texan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-feel-blessed-to-have-been-raised-a-texan/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I think provincialism is an endemic characteristic with mankind, I think everybody everywhere is provincial, but it is particularly striking with Texans, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/i-think-provincialism-is-an-endemic-characteristic-with-mankind-i/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [I'm an American by birth, but I'm a Texan by the Grace of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gatlin/i-m-an-american-by-birth-but-i-m-a-texan-by-the-grace-of-god/) [Larry Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gatlin/) > [Alabama soldiers, all I ask of you is to keep up with the Texans!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/alabama-soldiers-all-i-ask-of-you-is-to-keep-up-with-the-texans/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [I think being a Texan - we sort of have that extra fire in us as a breed. I just felt like from day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/i-think-being-a-texan-we-sort-of-have-that-extra-fire-in-us-as-a/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) ## More by Tommy Lee Jones > [The world's not a very comfortable place if you have a nightmare to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/the-world-s-not-a-very-comfortable-place-if-you-have-a-nightmare-to/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I'm always happy to have a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-m-always-happy-to-have-a-job/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I don't see people as groups, I see them as individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-don-t-see-people-as-groups-i-see-them-as-individuals/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I personally don't live a nihilistic life, I don't have any use for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-personally-don-t-live-a-nihilistic-life-i-don-t-have-any-use-for-it/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I think that no matter how much you don't like yourself or the drama of your life you can still find some comedy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-think-that-no-matter-how-much-you-don-t-like-yourself-or-the-drama/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [No director wants to be directed, but no good director... would shy away from the good ideas of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/no-director-wants-to-be-directed-but-no-good-director-would-shy-away/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I fear other actors who are not prepared. And I fear directors who are afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-fear-other-actors-who-are-not-prepared-and-i-fear-directors-who-are/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I don't play just villains. I like to have parts that are not simply villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-don-t-play-just-villains-i-like-to-have-parts-that-are-not-simply/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [If you don't hurt anybody or try to steal anything, you'll be fine in the South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/if-you-don-t-hurt-anybody-or-try-to-steal-anything-you-ll-be-fine-in/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [I try as hard as I can for everything to be different from one movie to the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-try-as-hard-as-i-can-for-everything-to-be-different-from-one-movie/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [As an actor I want to do as many takes as I can. I wanna shoot the scene... or shoot the shot 'til they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/as-an-actor-i-want-to-do-as-many-takes-as-i-can-i-wanna-shoot-the/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [Partnerships are good engines for narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/partnerships-are-good-engines-for-narrative/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [Ethnic stereotypes are boring and stressful and sometimes criminal. It's just not a good way to think. It's non-thinking. It's stupid and destructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/ethnic-stereotypes-are-boring-and-stressful-and-sometimes-criminal-it/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [As a child of West Texas, I identify with Hispanic culture every bit as much as I do North American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/as-a-child-of-west-texas-i-identify-with-hispanic-culture-every-bit/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) > [If you want to know about my politics, the only way to do that is to look at my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/if-you-want-to-know-about-my-politics-the-only-way-to-do-that-is-to/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) [Explore all 70 Tommy Lee Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/house-republicans-want-to-pass-a-strong-border-security-illegal/) [John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/) [Browse all 1,650 Borders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Let me explain something you already know. I'm from Texas and we understand the nature of a border. From what I've seen, vigilant Texans are being ordered to stand down and allow criminals to pass. Mr. President, prepare to see Texans ignoring those orders.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tommy Lee Jones" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/let-me-explain-something-you-already-know-i-m-from-texas-and-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Borders" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/let-me-explain-something-you-already-know-i-m-from-texas-and-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/tommy-lee-jones-9811_borders_let-me-explain-something-you-already-kno_2136712.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let me explain something you already know. I'm from Texas and we understand the nature of a border. From…” — Tommy Lee Jones", "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": "Tommy Lee Jones", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Let me explain something you already...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/let-me-explain-something-you-already-know-i-m-from-texas-and-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/let-me-explain-something-you-already-know-i-m-from-texas-and-we/#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 } } ] } ```