--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reading,\" he says, \"is always this: there…" description: "\"“Reading,\" he says, \"is always this: there is a thing that is there, a thing made of writing, a solid material object, which cannot be changed, and thr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/italo-calvino-402_reading_reading-he-says-is-always-this-there-is_3054002.jpg" --- # Reading," he says, "is always this: there is a thing that… ![“Reading," he says, "is always this: there is a thing that is there, a thing made of writing, a solid material object, which cannot be changed, and through this thing we measure ourselves against something else that is not present, something else that belongs to the immaterial, invisible world…” quote by Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/italo-calvino-402_reading_reading-he-says-is-always-this-there-is_3054002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/italo-calvino-402_reading_reading-he-says-is-always-this-there-is_3054002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/italo-calvino-402_reading_reading-he-says-is-always-this-there-is_3054002.jpg) > ““Reading," he says, "is always this: there is a thing that is there, a thing made of writing, a solid material object, which cannot be changed, and through this thing we measure ourselves against something else that is not present, something else that belongs to the immaterial, invisible world, because it can only be thought, imagined, or because it was once and is no longer, past, lost, unattainable, in the land of the dead…" "Or that is not present because it does not yet exist, something desire, feared, possible or impossible," Ludmilla says. "Reading is going toward something that is about to be, and no one yet knows what it will be…”” [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. Reading connects us to an immutable, imagined world, allowing self‑measurement against unseen ideas and desires. **In simple terms:** Reading links us to imagined, timeless ideas. Key Takeaway Use reading to explore unseen concepts. Themes reading imagination self‑reflection Mood introspective philosophical Type literary critique inspirational When to use this quote - academic study - personal growth - creative writing Key Concepts literary analysis philosophical inquiry creative thinking Questions to Reflect On - What unseen ideas does reading reveal? - How does reading shape your self‑view? A Different Perspective Interpretation varies; meaning may be elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I remember that story. You have read it four times." Samson shrugged. "Why should I stop with the first reading? Nobody says, 'That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-a-wyle/i-remember-that-story-you-have-read-it-four-times-samson-shrugged-why/) Karen A. Wyle > [“This book I'm reading says I should set one small goal each day. Yesterday I got out of bed like there was no tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-stein/this-book-i-m-reading-says-i-should-set-one-small-goal-each-day/) Leigh Stein > [ \[When\] he's here, he's always reading. He says books stop time. 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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. 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