--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really wanted to show [in \"fences\"] a…" description: "\"I really wanted to show [in \"fences\"] a marriage that is working. Not perfect, but working.\" — Viola Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/viola-davis-1174_fence_i-really-wanted-to-show-in-fences-a-marr_1429716.png" --- # I really wanted to show \[in "fences"\] a marriage that is… ![“I really wanted to show [in "fences"] a marriage that is working. Not perfect, but working.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/viola-davis-1174_fence_i-really-wanted-to-show-in-fences-a-marr_1429716.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/viola-davis-1174_fence_i-really-wanted-to-show-in-fences-a-marr_1429716.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/viola-davis-1174_fence_i-really-wanted-to-show-in-fences-a-marr_1429716.png) > “I really wanted to show \[in "fences"\] a marriage that is working. Not perfect, but working.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Showcasing a functional, imperfect marriage normalizes realistic relationships. **In simple terms:** Real marriages work despite imperfections. Key Takeaway Highlight realistic partnership dynamics. Themes relationships authenticity media Mood thoughtful hopeful Type dramatic inspirational When to use this quote - family counseling - relationship workshops - media analysis Key Concepts television drama social representation Questions to Reflect On - How does media shape expectations of marriage? - What makes a partnership “working”? A Different Perspective Idealizing imperfection may excuse dysfunction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) [Fences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences/) [Fences Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences-marriage-5086932/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-working-2500548/) [Not perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-perfect/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Fences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-fences-5086933/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) ## Related quotes > [ 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Ever wonder why people are so determined to reach for white picket fences, supposed normalcy, a nuclear family? Well, try growing up without one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-eddy/ever-wonder-why-people-are-so-determined-to-reach-for-white-picket/) [Chuck Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-eddy/) > [If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-mcknight/if-you-put-fences-around-people-you-get-sheep-give-people-the-room/) [William L. McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-mcknight/) > [ \[Rose from "Fences"\] couldn't just jump out there. Not just because of economic reasons but because how she was looked at in society at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/rose-from-fences-couldn-t-just-jump-out-there-not-just-because-of/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you — you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/how-hard-it-is-to-escape-from-places-however-carefully-one-goes-they/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [If fences don't work, why is there one around the White House?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/if-fences-don-t-work-why-is-there-one-around-the-white-house/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [ Even though the story \[Fences\] is set during the 1950s, some contemporary women might have trouble understanding her decision. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/even-though-the-story-fences-is-set-during-the-1950s-some/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [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/) > [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/) > [ 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [And I hate to see artists who are real safe. I love to see artists swing for the fences sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/and-i-hate-to-see-artists-who-are-real-safe-i-love-to-see-artists/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More Fence quotes > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/my-dreams-were-always-small-and-puny-all-i-ever-needed-was-a-little/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [I have yet to see someone attack Obama over his report card. A lot of people I talk to from both sides of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-have-yet-to-see-someone-attack-obama-over-his-report-card-a-lot-of/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [She was gone, and all that was left was the space where you'd grown around her, like a tree that grows around a fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-was-gone-and-all-that-was-left-was-the-space-where-you-d-grown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [My loneliness...still comes over me sometimes...It's a liminal, lost sensation of having wandered wide, endless boulevards, among rows of orange trees, winter butterflies, seasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/my-loneliness-still-comes-over-me-sometimes-it-s-a-liminal-lost/) [Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/) > [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Life is not that simple. That is why it is called life. That word includes both lie and if. Time to figure out which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/life-is-not-that-simple-that-is-why-it-is-called-life-that-word/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [The first time I played golf was in Flushing Meadows, Queens, when I was about 16 or 17. They had an 18-hole pitch-and-putt. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/the-first-time-i-played-golf-was-in-flushing-meadows-queens-when-i/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/coffee-arrived-and-the-espresso-was-excellent-like-an-aromatic/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pool singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/there-will-come-soft-rains-and-the-smell-of-the-ground-and-swallows/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [I can't give you the white picket fence, and if I did, you'd set it on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-can-t-give-you-the-white-picket-fence-and-if-i-did-you-d-set-it-on/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Most folks are like a barb-wire fence. They have their good points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/texas-bix-bender/most-folks-are-like-a-barb-wire-fence-they-have-their-good-points/) [Texas Bix Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/texas-bix-bender/) > [“I ran straight into the wooden fence at the foot of the field. I was lucky that it had been a rail fence, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keeble/i-ran-straight-into-the-wooden-fence-at-the-foot-of-the-field-i-was/) [Helen Keeble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keeble/) [Browse all 673 Fence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I really wanted to show [in \"fences\"] a marriage that is working. 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