25 Fences Quotes From the Popular Movie

Fans of period drama movies will love these Fences quotes!

Fences is a movie released in 2016 as a period drama taking place in 1950s Pittsburgh.

The movie was based on August Wilson’s 1985 play of the same name and was directed and produced by Denzel Washington.

Fences stars Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Jovan Adepo, among other actors and actresses.

Upon release, the movie received mostly positive reviews and performed well at the box office, grossing over $64 million against its $24 million budget.

The plot of the movie follows a working-class Black man named Troy Maxson who lives with his wife, Rose, and their son Cory.

Troy has had a hard life, serving time after beating up an abusive father and becoming a robber to support himself.

After that, he kept out of making it to Major League Baseball due to the “color barrier” that lasted until 1947.

And his younger brother was left mentally impaired from injuries sustained during WWII.

Take a look at these Fences quotes to learn more about this drama movie.

You will also enjoy our article on After We Collided quotes.

Best Fences Quotes

Enjoy some of the best lines from the film.

1. “I told you, a watched pot never boils.” — Rose

2. “You got more stories than the devil got sinners.” — Jim

3. “From right now, this child’s got a mother. But you’re a womanless man.” — Rose

4. “Can I ask you a question? How come you ain’t never liked me?” — Cory

5. “Where’s Cory? I want him to help me with this fence.” — Troy

6. “Everything that boy do, he do for you.” — Rose

7. “Your daddy got a promotion on the rubbish. He gonna be the first colored driver.” — Jim

8. “Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in.” — Jim

9. “When I first met her, she ask me if I had gotten all that foolishness out of my system. I said: Baby, it’s you and baseball, all that count to me.” — Troy

10. “I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom! And it didn’t take me no 18 years to realize the soil was hard and rocky, and it wasn’t never gonna bloom!” — Rose

Fences Quotes from Troy

These quotes help you get to know Troy and why he is like he is throughout the story.

11. “I’m the boss around here. I do the only saying what counts.” — Troy

12. “But you stick and get old with me, and we’ll both outlive this baseball!” — Troy

13. “When I first met this woman, I saw Rose, and I latched onto her.” — Troy

14. “I don’t want him to be like me. I want him to get as far away from my life as he possibly can get.” — Troy

15. “I’m gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side.” — Troy

16. “It’s not easy for me to admit that I’ve been standing in the same place for eighteen years!” — Troy

17. “You live in my house, feed your belly with my food, put your behind on my bed because you’re my son. It’s my duty to take care of you; I owe a responsibility to you; I ain’t got to like you!” — Troy

More Fences Quotes for Fans of the Film

If you loved the movie or just want to know more about it before watching, check these quotes out.

18. “Better get ready for the Judgement morning.” — Gabriel

19. “Been fighting with them people about driving and ain’t even got a license.” — Jim

20. “Legs don’t mean nothing. You don’t do nothing but push ’em out of the way.” — Troy

21. “I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you!” — Rose

22. “See a fella moving around from place to place, woman to woman, they call it, Searching out the New Land.” — Jim

23. “Your daddy wanted you to be everything he wasn’t, and at the same time, he wanted you to be everything he was.” — Rose

24. “Now don’t you go through life worrying about whether somebody like you or not! You best be makin’ sure that they’re doin’ right by you!” — Troy

25. “I took all my feelings, my wants and needs and dreams, and I buried them inside you. I planted a seed and watched and prayed over it.” — Rose

Does Troy’s Life Get Better?

Although Troy has a good wife and son, he continues down a path of self-destruction by having an affair with another woman with who he gets pregnant.

Troy is then separated from his family and, six years later, dies from a heart attack.

Although Troy was not an easy man to be around, his family finally decides to remember him for the good things he did, and they wish him farewell.

Please share these Fences quotes with your family and friends and post any comments about the movie in the comment section below.