Italo Calvino

Without translation, I would be limited to the borders of my own country. The translator is my most important ally. He introduces me to the world.

I write by hand, making many, many corrections. I would say I cross out more than I write. I have to hunt for words when I speak, and I have the same difficulty when writing.

A human being becomes human not through the casual convergence of certain biological conditions, but through an act of will and love on the part of other people.

Whoever grows angry amid troubles applies a drug worse than the disease and is a physician unskilled about misfortunes.

Well, I actually wrote her a letter a couple of days ago congratulating her. The tone I tried to convey in the letter is, look, you are a part of a great American historical process.