--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s…" description: "\"“It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s what’s stretched between.”\" — Hugh Howey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png" --- # It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s what’s stretched… ![“It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s what’s stretched between.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png) > ““It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s what’s stretched between.”” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distance itself isn’t the problem; the emotional strain of what separates people causes pain. **In simple terms:** Emotional distance hurts more than physical distance. Key Takeaway Address emotional gaps in relationships. Themes relationships emotion distance Mood empathetic hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - marriage - friendship - family - team dynamics - remote work Key Concepts psychological strain connection Questions to Reflect On - What bridges emotional gaps? - How can you reduce relational strain? A Different Perspective Physical proximity doesn’t guarantee emotional closeness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Distance Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-tears-1375971/) [Stretched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stretched/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tears Stretched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-stretched-1375970/) ## Related quotes > [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I have never begun a novel which wasn't going to stretch me further than I had ever stretched before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-have-never-begun-a-novel-which-wasn-t-going-to-stretch-me-further/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“The queue for happiness was not well ordered, he thought; it stretched out and wound round corners, and sometimes, it seemed, the end was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-queue-for-happiness-was-not-well-ordered-he-thought-it-stretched/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [“Leadership obeys the principle of Hooke's law to the very bone. 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I don't think you can aspire to it, nor can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/what-s-considered-ideal-in-hollywood-is-completely-different-than/) [Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/) > [“He stretched out on the bed and was suddenly struck by how utterly lonely he was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/he-stretched-out-on-the-bed-and-was-suddenly-struck-by-how-utterly/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [There were days I could barely struggle into a size 46 or 48, months of larges and XXLs, and endless rounds of leggings with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/there-were-days-i-could-barely-struggle-into-a-size-46-or-48-months/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [“It was a terrible thing to discover you no longer wanted the life that stretched out ahead of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-discover-you-no-longer-wanted-the-life/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [With Lady Gaga I really stretched myself as a creative director, and because I was with this artist from before she got signed I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/with-lady-gaga-i-really-stretched-myself-as-a-creative-director-and/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s what’s stretched between.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Howey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-what-s-stretched-between/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-what-s-stretched-between/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/hugh-howey-841_distance_it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-wh_915509.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It isn’t the distance that tears— it’s what’s stretched between.” — Hugh Howey", "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": "Hugh Howey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It isn’t the distance that tears—...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-what-s-stretched-between/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-isn-t-the-distance-that-tears-it-s-what-s-stretched-between/#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 } } ] } ```