--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Police in China can do whatever they…" description: "\"Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their own laws. In a s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/ai-weiwei-824_after_police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-wan_27623.png" --- # Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days… ![“Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their own laws. In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want - not only you, your whole…” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/ai-weiwei-824_after_police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-wan_27623.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/ai-weiwei-824_after_police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-wan_27623.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/ai-weiwei-824_after_police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-wan_27623.png) > “Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their own laws. In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want - not only you, your whole family and all people like you.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how authoritarian regimes can bypass legal constraints, using arbitrary detention to intimidate individuals and their families, demonstrating that power can be exercised without accountability. **In simple terms:** Authoritarian lawlessness and intimidation. Key Takeaway Power can override law at will. Themes authoritarianism human rights state oppression legal arbitrariness social control Mood defiant cautionary Type political testimonial When to use this quote - activists facing detention - families of political prisoners - citizens under surveillance - international NGOs documenting abuses Key Concepts rule of law political repression personal liberty Practical Applications - advocacy for legal reform - raising awareness of state abuse Questions to Reflect On - How does unchecked state power affect societal trust? - What mechanisms can protect individuals from arbitrary legal enforcement? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary/) [Arbitrary Detention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary-detention-416759/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Clearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clearly/) [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days/) [Detention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detention/) [Detention Clearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detention-clearly-416762/) [Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion/) [Except](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/except/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Negotiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiation/) [Obey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obey/) [Obey Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obey-laws-416761/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Police China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-china-416760/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Realise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realise/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Whatever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whatever/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Whole family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-family/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [Contrary to what certain governments say, human rights are universal. Arbitrary detention, torture and discrimination hurt the human dignity of anybody, whatever his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/contrary-to-what-certain-governments-say-human-rights-are-universal/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [ The U.N. \[the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention\] has looked into this whole situation. They spent eighteen months in formal, adversarial litigation.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/the-u-n-the-united-nations-working-group-on-arbitrary-detention-has/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [“SHANGHAI (AP) — A quarter of the police in Shanghai began carrying guns during routine patrols for the first time this week as part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shanghai-ap-a-quarter-of-the-police-in-shanghai-began-carrying-guns/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“first time this week as part of a China-wide boost in police firepower following a deadly mass knifing blamed on Xinjiang separatists. Ordinary police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-time-this-week-as-part-of-a-china-wide-boost-in-police/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the police in Shanghai began carrying guns during routine patrols for the first time this week as part of a China-wide boost in police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-police-in-shanghai-began-carrying-guns-during-routine-patrols-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [During the days in detention, I thought most about the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/during-the-days-in-detention-i-thought-most-about-the-moon/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [My mother became much older when I came out (ed's note: of detention). She had problems with her hearing and high blood pressure. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/my-mother-became-much-older-when-i-came-out-ed-s-note-of-detention/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Every actual State is corrupt. Good men must not obey laws too well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-actual-state-is-corrupt-good-men-must-not-obey-laws-too-well/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It is dangerous to tell the people that the laws are unjust; for they obey them only because they think them just. Therefore it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-is-dangerous-to-tell-the-people-that-the-laws-are-unjust-for-they/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Principles are laws that are established by the creator or the manufacturer by which a product functions. If you violate those laws, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/principles-are-laws-that-are-established-by-the-creator-or-the/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [Order your soul; reduce your wants; live in charity; associate in Christian community; obey the laws; trust in Providence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/order-your-soul-reduce-your-wants-live-in-charity-associate-in/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [I am not what is called a civilized man, professor. I have done with society for reasons that seem good to me. Therefore I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-felton/i-am-not-what-is-called-a-civilized-man-professor-i-have-done-with/) [Earl Felton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-felton/) > [“It would therefore be a good thing for us to obey laws and customs because they are laws: to know that there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-would-therefore-be-a-good-thing-for-us-to-obey-laws-and-customs/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [To make an empire durable, the magistrates must obey the laws and the people the magistrates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solon/to-make-an-empire-durable-the-magistrates-must-obey-the-laws-and-the/) [Solon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solon/) > [Woman's great mission is to train immature, weak and ignorant creatures to obey the laws of God; the physical, the intellectual, the social and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-beecher/woman-s-great-mission-is-to-train-immature-weak-and-ignorant/) [Catharine Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-beecher/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-am-very-much-interested-in-the-so-called-useless-object-i-mean-it/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More After quotes > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/) [Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) [Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/) > [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. 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