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.

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.

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