The novels that attract me most are those that create an illusion of transparency around a knot of human relationships as obscure, cruel, and perverse as possible.
Italo CalvinoRead
Something must always remain that eludes us ... For power to have an object on which it can be exercised, a space in which to stretch out its arms ... As long as I know there exists in the world someone who does tricks only for the love of the trick, as long as I know there is a woman who loves reading for reading's sake, I can convince myself that the world continues ... And every evening I, too, abandon myself to reading, like that distant unknown woman.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that there are aspects of life that will always remain unreachable, yet the simple joys derived from passion keep us connected to the world.
Italo Calvino's quote reflects on the intrinsic value of human pursuits that exist beyond practical gain or power. He suggests that power requires an object for its exercise, yet it is the activities driven by pure love—like doing tricks for enjoyment or reading for pleasure—that truly affirm life's continuity. The acknowledgment of such individuals inspires a sense of hope and connection, emphasizing that there are experiences and passions that exist for their own sake, which keep the world vibrant and meaningful.
Themes
PowerPassionReadingJoyLife
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of pursuing one's passions.
More from Italo Calvino
All quotes →Your first book is the only one that matters. Perhaps a writer should write only that one. That is the one moment when you make the big leap; the opportunity to express yourself is offered that once, and you untie the knot within you then or never again.
Italo CalvinoRead
...and every Wednesday the perfumed young lady slips me a hundred-crown note to leave her alone with the convict. And by Thursday the hundred crowns are already gone in so much beer. And when the visiting hour is over, the young lady comes out with the stink of jail in her elegant clothes; and the prisoner goes back to his cell with the lady's perfume in his jailbird's suit. And I'm left with the smell of beer. Life is nothing but trading smells.
Italo CalvinoRead
Nobody these days holds the written word in such high esteem as police states do.
Italo CalvinoRead
The struggle of literature is in fact a struggle to escape from the confines of language; it stretches out from the utmost limits of what can be said; what stirs literature is the call and attraction of what is not in the dictionary.
Italo CalvinoRead
Fantasy is like jam. . . . You have to spread it on a solid piece of bread. If not, it remains a shapeless thing . . . out of which you can’t make anything.
Italo CalvinoRead
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