Cities Quote by Italo Calvino
“Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased," Polo said. "Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once, if I speak of it, or perhaps, speaking of other cities, I have already lost it, little by little.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino, 1972
Writing fixes images into words, causing them to fade, reflecting fear of loss through description.
In simple terms: Describing memories can make them disappear.
Key Takeaway
Be mindful when turning experience into language.
Themes
memory
loss
language
art
impermanence
Mood
nostalgic
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- Travel writing
- personal memoir
- historical preservation
- artistic creation
Key Concepts
Narrative theory
phenomenology
ontological anxiety
Questions to Reflect On
- How does describing a place change your relationship to it?
- Can language ever fully preserve memory?
A Different Perspective
Words may not capture the full depth of experience.
![“... in the eyes of its visitors, Venice has no reality of its own. Anyone visiting the place has already seen so many pictures of it that they can only attempt to view it via these clichés, and they take home photographs of Venice that are similar to the ones they already knew. Venice [is]…” quote by Christian Boltanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/27a/christian-boltanski-23691_backdrop_in-the-eyes-of-its-visitors-venice-has-n_158297.jpg)
![“Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Less Developed Countries]?... I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that... I’ve always…” quote by Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ac4/lawrence-summers-16940_air_just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-wo_4703.jpg)
