--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom is nothing but the distance…" description: "\"Freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and the hunted.\" — Bei Dao" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png" --- # Freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and… ![“Freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and the hunted.” quote by Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png) > “Freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and the hunted.” [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom is defined by the space between oppressor and oppressed, not by absolute liberty. **In simple terms:** Freedom is relational. Key Takeaway Recognize the dynamics of power in your life. Themes politics philosophy power Mood reflective determined Type political poetic When to use this quote - activism - social justice - personal boundaries Key Concepts critical theory human rights Questions to Reflect On - How does power affect your sense of freedom? - What actions can shift the hunter‑hunted dynamic? A Different Perspective Power structures can be entrenched, limiting change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunter/) [Hunters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunters/) [Hunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunting/) ## Related quotes > [When you're huntin' somepin you're a hunter, an' you're strong. Can't nobody beat a hunter. But when you get hunted - that's different. Somepin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/when-you-re-huntin-somepin-you-re-a-hunter-an-you-re-strong-can-t/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [It is much easier to be the hunter than the hunted. When you are the one not expected to do anything, you play better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-payton/it-is-much-easier-to-be-the-hunter-than-the-hunted-when-you-are-the/) [Gary Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-payton/) > [This world's divided into two kinds of people: the hunter and the hunted. Luckily I'm the hunter. Nothing can change that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mccrea/this-world-s-divided-into-two-kinds-of-people-the-hunter-and-the/) [Joel McCrea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mccrea/) > [You can be the hunter, or you can be the hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/you-can-be-the-hunter-or-you-can-be-the-hunted/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [Before I was the hunter. Now I'm the hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-hingis/before-i-was-the-hunter-now-i-m-the-hunted/) [Martina Hingis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-hingis/) > [Hunting is now to most of us a game, whose relish seems based upon some mystic remembrance, in the blood, of ancient days when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/hunting-is-now-to-most-of-us-a-game-whose-relish-seems-based-upon/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Now she would become the hunter...and he, the hunted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/now-she-would-become-the-hunter-and-he-the-hunted/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [Be the hunter, not the hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mattis/be-the-hunter-not-the-hunted/) [Jim Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mattis/) > [“I see thousands of people in the images. They flicker past, but never return. Nothing and no one stays, it’s the loneliest of lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mons-kallentoft/i-see-thousands-of-people-in-the-images-they-flicker-past-but-never/) [Mons Kallentoft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mons-kallentoft/) > [In searching for the self, one cannot simultaneously be the hunter and the hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-ryle/in-searching-for-the-self-one-cannot-simultaneously-be-the-hunter-and/) [Gilbert Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-ryle/) > [“She had forgotten them all; forgotten Richard down in the mud, and the Marquis and his foolish crossbow, and the world. She was delighted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/she-had-forgotten-them-all-forgotten-richard-down-in-the-mud-and-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“But the hunter was also the hunted, For many of my arrows left my bow only to seek my own breast...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/but-the-hunter-was-also-the-hunted-for-many-of-my-arrows-left-my-bow/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [“Last night, the Hunter was hunted. Do you remember how hard I made you cum?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-james/last-night-the-hunter-was-hunted-do-you-remember-how-hard-i-made-you/) [Ella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-james/) > [“you were both hunter and hunted; the shadow of your thoughts was the beast which killed you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-holdstock/you-were-both-hunter-and-hunted-the-shadow-of-your-thoughts-was-the/) [Robert Holdstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-holdstock/) > [Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/be-the-hunter-not-the-hunted-never-allow-your-unit-to-be-caught-with/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) ## More by Bei Dao > [“the bouquet Between me and the world you are a bay, a sail the faithful ends of a rope you are a fountain, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/the-bouquet-between-me-and-the-world-you-are-a-bay-a-sail-the/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [Being a poet in the States is quite different from being one in China, because in the States poetry depends on the universities for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/being-a-poet-in-the-states-is-quite-different-from-being-one-in-china/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [On the one hand poetry is useless. It can't change the world materially. On the other hand it is a basic part of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/on-the-one-hand-poetry-is-useless-it-can-t-change-the-world/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [Perhaps the final hour is come I have left no testament Only a pen, for my mother I am no hero in an age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/perhaps-the-final-hour-is-come-i-have-left-no-testament-only-a-pen/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [The name Bei Dao was actually given to me with the help of friends. When we were publishing our unofficial magazine, Today, we wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/the-name-bei-dao-was-actually-given-to-me-with-the-help-of-friends/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [As a writer, the most important thing for me is to continue to write, no matter where I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/as-a-writer-the-most-important-thing-for-me-is-to-continue-to-write/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [I don't think of writing my poems for China or for the world. I mainly think of a small audience of friends and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/i-don-t-think-of-writing-my-poems-for-china-or-for-the-world-i-mainly/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [Writing is the thing that sustains me and keeps me going. It is a form of self-preservation for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/writing-is-the-thing-that-sustains-me-and-keeps-me-going-it-is-a-form/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [In the world I am Always a stranger I do not understand its language It does not understand my silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/in-the-world-i-am-always-a-stranger-i-do-not-understand-its-language/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) > [Bei Dao became the most well-known name for me because of certain criticism of my work. Bei Dao was the name under which my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/bei-dao-became-the-most-well-known-name-for-me-because-of-certain/) [Bei Dao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) [Explore all 11 Bei Dao quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/) ## More Distance quotes > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/) Toshihiko Seko > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/) [Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and the hunted.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bei Dao" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-between-the-hunter-and-the-hunted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-between-the-hunter-and-the-hunted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d7/bei-dao-38500_distance_freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-betw_890749.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and the hunted.” — Bei Dao", "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": "Bei Dao", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bei-dao/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Freedom is nothing but the distance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-between-the-hunter-and-the-hunted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bei-dao/freedom-is-nothing-but-the-distance-between-the-hunter-and-the-hunted/#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 } } ] } ```