--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a long way it is from one life to…" description: "\"What a long way it is from one life to another: yet why write if not for that distance; if things can be let go, every before replaced by an after.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg" --- # What a long way it is from one life to another: yet why… ![“What a long way it is from one life to another: yet why write if not for that distance; if things can be let go, every before replaced by an after.” quote by Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg) > “What a long way it is from one life to another: yet why write if not for that distance; if things can be let go, every before replaced by an after.” [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s transitions are vast; writing bridges the gap, allowing us to let go and move forward. **In simple terms:** Writing bridges life’s big changes. Key Takeaway Write to process transitions. Themes transition writing letting go Mood introspective hopeful Type therapeutic literary When to use this quote - grief - career shifts - personal growth Key Concepts psychology narrative therapy Questions to Reflect On - What distance are you trying to cross? - How can writing help you let go? A Different Perspective Writing may not resolve all emotional pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-need-to-distance-yourself-to-see-things-clearly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything seems simpler from a distance. Sometimes you simply need to distance yourself to see things more clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/everything-seems-simpler-from-a-distance-sometimes-you-simply-need-to/) Senoraroy > [I learned to keep at a certain distance from things - and to make myself a little bit invisible while I observed and understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/i-learned-to-keep-at-a-certain-distance-from-things-and-to-make/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [Everybody needs to take a little distance from things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floor-jansen/everybody-needs-to-take-a-little-distance-from-things/) [Floor Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floor-jansen/) > [“There is no distance between these 8 things: intelligence and sanity, wisdom and stability, ignorance and stupidity, truth and honesty, time and reality, space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/there-is-no-distance-between-these-8-things-intelligence-and-sanity/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I have a lot of things to say and a lot of things to let out of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/i-have-a-lot-of-things-to-say-and-a-lot-of-things-to-let-out-of-me/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [These precious things, let them bleed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/these-precious-things-let-them-bleed/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [We can't always have the beautiful aspect of things. 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Sometimes things let you down and sometimes things just surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-vogel/when-you-choose-a-show-you-really-don-t-know-where-it-s-going-to-go/) [Mike Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-vogel/) ## More by Yiyun Li > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [One easy mistake to make with the first novel is to expand the short story. Some things are better as a story; you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/one-easy-mistake-to-make-with-the-first-novel-is-to-expand-the-short/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“sometimes Moran wondered if her chief merit was her willingness to serve as a human receptacle for details. Sympathy and admiration and surprise she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/sometimes-moran-wondered-if-her-chief-merit-was-her-willingness-to/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I always tell my students to go back after a hundred pages and rewrite from the beginning. It's really harder if you've already finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-always-tell-my-students-to-go-back-after-a-hundred-pages-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [She wonders if this is what people call falling in love, the desire to be with someone for every minute of the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/she-wonders-if-this-is-what-people-call-falling-in-love-the-desire-to/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [Some people in China don't look at freedom of speech as an abstract ideal, but more as a means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/some-people-in-china-don-t-look-at-freedom-of-speech-as-an-abstract/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I would never describe a cloud as 'fluffy'—in Chinese or in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-would-never-describe-a-cloud-as-fluffy-in-chinese-or-in-english/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“It saddened her that Luo insisted on holding on to her as if they had started to share some vital organs during their twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-saddened-her-that-luo-insisted-on-holding-on-to-her-as-if-they-had/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [To write about a struggle amidst the struggling: one must hope that the muddling will end someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/to-write-about-a-struggle-amidst-the-struggling-one-must-hope-that/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I think our eyes are trained to look for what we want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-think-our-eyes-are-trained-to-look-for-what-we-want-to-see/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [What is revolution except a systematic way for one species to eat another alive?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-is-revolution-except-a-systematic-way-for-one-species-to-eat/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“His mother had always been a headstrong woman, and with her grayish-white mane and unsmiling face, she appeared as regal and intimidating as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/his-mother-had-always-been-a-headstrong-woman-and-with-her-grayish/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [In China, your freedom is always limited, but this limitation applies to almost everyone. If someone does injustice to you, though, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/in-china-your-freedom-is-always-limited-but-this-limitation-applies/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [The boy will remain a son and never become a father. He will be forgotten by the crowd once his blood is rinsed clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/the-boy-will-remain-a-son-and-never-become-a-father-he-will-be/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [You can write about a country without taking a stand, but you cannot write about a country without noting that there's history, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/you-can-write-about-a-country-without-taking-a-stand-but-you-cannot/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) [Explore all 54 Yiyun Li quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## 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": "What a long way it is from one life to another: yet why write if not for that distance; if things can be let go, every before replaced by an after.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yiyun Li" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-another-yet-why-write-if-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-another-yet-why-write-if-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/yiyun-li-12305_distance_what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-a_1805706.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What a long way it is from one life to another: yet why write if not for that distance; if things can be let…” — Yiyun Li", "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": "Yiyun Li", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What a long way it is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-another-yet-why-write-if-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-a-long-way-it-is-from-one-life-to-another-yet-why-write-if-not/#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 } } ] } ```