---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fences and borders are a sign of weakness."
description: "\"Fences and borders are a sign of weakness.\" — Yanis Varoufakis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg"
---

#  Fences and borders are a sign of weakness.

![“Fences and borders are a sign of weakness.” quote by Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg)

> “Fences and borders are a sign of weakness.”

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Physical barriers like fences and borders indicate vulnerability.

**In simple terms:** Fences show weakness.

Key Takeaway

R reliance on openness.

Themes

politics security human rights

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- border negotiations
- humanitarian aid
- community integration
- policy reform

Key Concepts

sovereignty migration conflict resolution

Questions to Reflect On

- Are there alternatives to physical barriers?
- How do borders affect human connection?

A Different Perspective

Security concerns sometimes necessitate borders.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Borders Sign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders-sign-4959401/) [Fence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) [Fences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences/) [Fences Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fences-borders-1021630/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/)

## Related quotes

> [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/)

> [“Fences and borders make prisoners of us all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-c-nolan/fences-and-borders-make-prisoners-of-us-all/)

[Raymond C. Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-c-nolan/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [ 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/)

> [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 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/)

## More by Yanis Varoufakis

> [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Larry Summers is one such rare insider. His question to me was in fact an invocation to reject the lure of the outside. Underpinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/larry-summers-is-one-such-rare-insider-his-question-to-me-was-in-fact/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [The many refugees are not a Greek or German problem. They are a European problem. We should therefore develop a common strategy. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-many-refugees-are-not-a-greek-or-german-problem-they-are-a/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“If you cannot imagine walking out of a negotiation, you should never enter it. If you cannot fathom the idea of an impasse you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/if-you-cannot-imagine-walking-out-of-a-negotiation-you-should-never/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [Had history been democratic in its ways, there would have been no farming and no indsturial revolution. Both leaps into the future were occasioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/had-history-been-democratic-in-its-ways-there-would-have-been-no/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [We will compromise and compromise and compromise but we will never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/we-will-compromise-and-compromise-and-compromise-but-we-will-never-be/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Beneath the specific events that I experienced, I recognised a universal story – the story of what happens when human beings find themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/beneath-the-specific-events-that-i-experienced-i-recognised-a/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [Germany is Europe's heart. But bitterness is widespread. Currently the Germans hate the Greeks and the Greeks hate the Germans. The demonization of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/germany-is-europe-s-heart-but-bitterness-is-widespread-currently-the/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [I don't believe a Brexit will hurt the City of London as one of the largest financial centers in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/i-don-t-believe-a-brexit-will-hurt-the-city-of-london-as-one-of-the/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Whenever a politician in the know gives a journalist an exclusive in exchange for a particular spin that is in the politician’s interest, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/whenever-a-politician-in-the-know-gives-a-journalist-an-exclusive-in/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [European Union partners never said European Union partners're going to renege on any promises, European Union partners said that European Union partners promises concern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/european-union-partners-never-said-european-union-partners-re-going/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“When inordinate weight is loaded onto a flimsily constructed bridge, the weakest beam will break first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/when-inordinate-weight-is-loaded-onto-a-flimsily-constructed-bridge/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Most Europeans like to think that American bankruptocracy is worse than its European cousin, thanks to the power of Wall Street and the infamous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/most-europeans-like-to-think-that-american-bankruptocracy-is-worse/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

> [“Austerity is a morality play pressed into the service of legitimizing cynical wealth transfers from the have-nots to the haves during times of crisis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/austerity-is-a-morality-play-pressed-into-the-service-of-legitimizing/)

[Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

[Explore all 63 Yanis Varoufakis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/)

## 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": "Fences and borders are a sign of weakness.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yanis Varoufakis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weakness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Borders"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weakness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/yanis-varoufakis-10824_borders_fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weaknes_2221498.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Fences and borders are a sign of weakness.” — Yanis Varoufakis",
                "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": "Yanis Varoufakis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Fences and borders are a sign...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weakness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/fences-and-borders-are-a-sign-of-weakness/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```