--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My working method has more often than not…" description: "\"My working method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight. I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/italo-calvino-402_becoming_my-working-method-has-more-often-than-no_1793605.jpg" --- # My working method has more often than not involved the… ![“My working method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight. I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language. . . . Maybe I was only…” quote by Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/italo-calvino-402_becoming_my-working-method-has-more-often-than-no_1793605.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/italo-calvino-402_becoming_my-working-method-has-more-often-than-no_1793605.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/italo-calvino-402_becoming_my-working-method-has-more-often-than-no_1793605.jpg) > “My working method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight. I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language. . . . Maybe I was only then becoming aware of the weight, the inertia, the opacity of the world--qualities that stick to the writing from the start, unless one finds some way of evading them.” [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. The author reflects on attempts to lighten various aspects of life—people, objects, stories—recognizing that weight, inertia, and opacity are inherent challenges in writing and perception. **In simple terms:** Removing weight from stories is hard because heaviness is built in. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and work around inherent complexity. Themes writing complexity perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - editing - teaching - writing workshops Key Concepts literary theory creative process Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance lightness and depth? - What techniques reduce heaviness? A Different Perspective Weight may be essential for depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Heavenly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavenly/) [Heavenly bodies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavenly-bodies/) [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Subtraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtraction/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/i-have-tried-to-remove-weight-sometimes-from-people-sometimes-from/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [My first Weight Watchers meeting was when I was 14 years old on Long Island, and I went there with my mother. 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