What is the reason for this saying? [closed]
Fences make good neighbors.
Being a recent purchaser of a new plot and home, I have heard this phrase more than a few times when I spoke of getting a fence.
To me, there is something antisocial and secretive about putting up a boundary (we still very much wanted to put it up). It seems, then, there is something about getting a fence that serves the harmony of the neighbor relationship.
What is the meaning of this saying?
Solution 1:
This comes from Robert Frost's poem Mending Wall.
It is in fact the claim that "Good fences make good neighbors." It has been mistaken as advice since then. The source I am adding makes the point that this was not Frost's intention. All who are familiar with the poem would concur.
From https://www.answers.com Q/Who_is_the_origin_of_good_fences_make_good_neighbors
"The expression comes from Robert Frost's poem Mending Wall. However, it is not Frost, but rather a neighbor, who spouts this cliche. Frost is rather doubtful that it is true. It all depends on whether one is walling in or walling out, and he concludes that there is something that does not like a wall, i.e., essentially a barrier between people."
Solution 2:
"Good fences make good neighbors" means:
A much rarer variation is "high fences make good neighbors" which emphasizes how important privacy and minding your own business is to maintaining good relations with those around you.