---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s not that you expect anything in…"
description: "\"“It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg"
---

#  It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this…

![“It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything.” quote by Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg)

> ““It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything.””

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A reader should approach each work without preset expectations, allowing genuine experience to arise.

**In simple terms:** Read without expectations.

Key Takeaway

Embrace openness to each book.

Themes

open‑mindedness reading expectations

Mood

contemplative neutral

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- first reading
- book clubs
- personal growth
- creative writing

Key Concepts

existentialism literary theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does expectation shape your reading experience?
- Can you enjoy a book without any expectations?

A Different Perspective

Some works may still disappoint despite openness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect/) [Expect Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect-particular-2820095/) [Particular Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular-book-1814465/) [Person Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-principle-2737519/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [ I try to live \[the Golden Rule\] and I certainly expect it of some particular others. But I'll be damned if I want most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-cade-bambara/i-try-to-live-the-golden-rule-and-i-certainly-expect-it-of-some/)

[Toni Cade Bambara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-cade-bambara/)

> [I don't think there was a particular book that made me want to write. They all did. I always wanted to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-there-was-a-particular-book-that-made-me-want-to-write/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I don't believe that there is any particular book that influenced any 'career' I might have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/i-don-t-believe-that-there-is-any-particular-book-that-influenced-any/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [“To be a person of principle is to accept the reality that their stance will never cease to draw the fire of those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-be-a-person-of-principle-is-to-accept-the-reality-that-their/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [Tied to the value of the person is the principle of servanthood. We value what we freely serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-groothuis/tied-to-the-value-of-the-person-is-the-principle-of-servanthood-we/)

[Douglas Groothuis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-groothuis/)

> [We expect a great man to be a good reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-expect-a-great-man-to-be-a-good-reader/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [You're the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything. There are plenty, younger than you or less young, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/you-re-the-sort-of-person-who-on-principle-no-longer-expects-anything/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [All books are judged by their covers until they are read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryrose-wood/all-books-are-judged-by-their-covers-until-they-are-read/)

[Maryrose Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryrose-wood/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

## More by Italo Calvino

> [“(one would say yes, if not every day, at least fairly regularly), whether only for yourself or also for others (often only for yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/one-would-say-yes-if-not-every-day-at-least-fairly-regularly-whether/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“The Great Khan tried to concentrate on the game: but now it was the game’s reason that eluded him. The end of every game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-great-khan-tried-to-concentrate-on-the-game-but-now-it-was-the/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“Or else you can say, like the camel driver who took me there: "I arrived here in my first youth, one morning, many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/or-else-you-can-say-like-the-camel-driver-who-took-me-there-i-arrived/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“The naked man had lost hope now; he would never be able to return to the earth's surface;he would never leave the bottom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-naked-man-had-lost-hope-now-he-would-never-be-able-to-return-to/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“The art of writing tales consists in an ability to draw the rest of life from the little one has understood of it; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-art-of-writing-tales-consists-in-an-ability-to-draw-the-rest-of/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“I ask you to come down to earth," said the Baron in a calm, rather faint voice, "and to take up the duties of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/i-ask-you-to-come-down-to-earth-said-the-baron-in-a-calm-rather-faint/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [The unconscious is the ocean of the unsayable, of what has been expelled from the land of language, removed as a result of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-unconscious-is-the-ocean-of-the-unsayable-of-what-has-been/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“... KUBLAI: We have proved that if we were here, we would not be. POLO: And here, in fact, we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/kublai-we-have-proved-that-if-we-were-here-we-would-not-be-polo-and/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“And yet, in Raissa, at every moment there is a child in a window who laughs seeing a dog that has jumped on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/and-yet-in-raissa-at-every-moment-there-is-a-child-in-a-window-who/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“Ludmilla, now you are being read. Your body is being subjected to a systematic reading, through channels of tactile information, visual, olfactory, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/ludmilla-now-you-are-being-read-your-body-is-being-subjected-to-a/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“Once the process of falsification is set in motion, it won't stop. We're in a country where everything that can be falsified has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/once-the-process-of-falsification-is-set-in-motion-it-won-t-stop-we/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“Your case gives me new hope," I said to him. "With me, more and more often I happen to pick up a novel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/your-case-gives-me-new-hope-i-said-to-him-with-me-more-and-more-often/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [We could say, then, that man is an instrument the world employs to renew its own image constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/we-could-say-then-that-man-is-an-instrument-the-world-employs-to/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [“Perhaps it is this story that is a bridge over the void, and as it advances it flings forward news and sensations and emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/perhaps-it-is-this-story-that-is-a-bridge-over-the-void-and-as-it/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [Yet, even now, ever time (often) that I find that I don't understand something, then instinctively, I'm filled with the hope that perhaps this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/yet-even-now-ever-time-often-that-i-find-that-i-don-t-understand/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

[Explore all 468 Italo Calvino quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Italo Calvino"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-particular-from-this-particular/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-particular-from-this-particular/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91c/italo-calvino-402_book_it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-par_2790380.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on…” — Italo Calvino",
                "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": "Italo Calvino",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It’s not that you expect anything...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-particular-from-this-particular/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/it-s-not-that-you-expect-anything-in-particular-from-this-particular/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
