Italo Calvino Classic Quotations

A classic is the term given to any book which comes to represent the whole universe, a book on a par with ancient talismans.

The Classics are those books which constitute a treasured experience for those who have read and loved them; but they remain just as rich an experience for those who reserve the chance to read them for when they are in the best condition to enjoy them.

Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them.