--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I get the idea perfectly, Mickey,\" said…" description: "\"“I get the idea perfectly, Mickey,\" said Archimboldi, thinking all the while that this man was not only irritating but ridiculous, with the particular ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg" --- # I get the idea perfectly, Mickey," said Archimboldi… ![“I get the idea perfectly, Mickey," said Archimboldi, thinking all the while that this man was not only irritating but ridiculous, with the particular ridiculousness of self-dramatizers and poor fools convinced they've been present at a decisive moment in history, when it's common knowledge…” quote by Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg) > ““I get the idea perfectly, Mickey," said Archimboldi, thinking all the while that this man was not only irritating but ridiculous, with the particular ridiculousness of self-dramatizers and poor fools convinced they've been present at a decisive moment in history, when it's common knowledge, thought Archimboldi, that history, which is a simple whore, has no decisive moments but is a proliferation of instants, brief interludes that vie with one another in monstrousness.”” [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History is a series of fleeting moments, not grand decisive events. **In simple terms:** History is many small moments. Key Takeaway Focus on present experiences over grand narratives. Themes history philosophy literature existentialism time Mood reflective philosophical Type literary critical analytical When to use this quote - academic study - personal reflection - creative writing - film analysis Key Concepts temporality meaninglessness human condition narrative structure Questions to Reflect On - Do you see history as a collection of moments? - How does this view affect personal agency? A Different Perspective May overlook the impact of significant turning points. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ridiculousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculousness/) ## Related quotes > [What are you going to do on valentines day? Watch the new episode of ridiculousness. fuckvalentinesday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-are-you-going-to-do-on-valentines-day-watch-the-new-episode-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What stops me from taking myself seriously, even though I am essentially a serious person, is that I find myself extremely ridiculous, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/what-stops-me-from-taking-myself-seriously-even-though-i-am/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“Whatever exists is inevitably flawed. Buddha, in his detachment from the world, finds all its hustle and bustle ridiculous because he has nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-exists-is-inevitably-flawed-buddha-in-his-detachment-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any set in the world, I feel ridiculous. There's a lot of ridiculousness in my job. The people are the fun part. But, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/any-set-in-the-world-i-feel-ridiculous-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [I think the height of ridiculousness was when I was playing Elizabeth in 'The Golden Age' while preparing to start shooting 'I'm Not There.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-the-height-of-ridiculousness-was-when-i-was-playing-elizabeth/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [The ridiculousness and idiocy of life is embraced and examined. It nurtures the childhood perspective in everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/the-ridiculousness-and-idiocy-of-life-is-embraced-and-examined-it/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [Hold on. So in my mind, this jacked-up, sideways ridiculousness is the normal state?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/hold-on-so-in-my-mind-this-jacked-up-sideways-ridiculousness-is-the/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [We are not actually in charge of life, yet behave as if we are the masters of our own destiny. The realization of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-childish/we-are-not-actually-in-charge-of-life-yet-behave-as-if-we-are-the/) [Billy Childish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-childish/) > [“I once asked Arpit Bala, an influencer with a brutally loyal following, about the resentment felt by office-goers against self-employed content creators. He spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-minus-verma/i-once-asked-arpit-bala-an-influencer-with-a-brutally-loyal-following/) Anurag Minus Verma > [I have very, very specific ideas about how I want to do my work and how I want to be perceived and to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-have-very-very-specific-ideas-about-how-i-want-to-do-my-work-and/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [My parents are both very funny but they're also relatively soft-spoken, normal human beings while I'm just a lunatic. I don't know where this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/my-parents-are-both-very-funny-but-they-re-also-relatively-soft/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [You can only begin to be great when you embrace a sense of your own ridiculousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/you-can-only-begin-to-be-great-when-you-embrace-a-sense-of-your-own/) [Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/) > [I'm trying to put the ridiculousness to bed. The president of the United States is the president of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-m-trying-to-put-the-ridiculousness-to-bed-the-president-of-the/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [“My joy is that there is no such world at all, but that the substance of life is in everyone! There is no reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/my-joy-is-that-there-is-no-such-world-at-all-but-that-the-substance/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“...his ridiculousness was a form of vitality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/his-ridiculousness-was-a-form-of-vitality/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) ## More by Roberto Bolano > [Literature + Illness = Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/literature-illness-illness/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“Brief like beauty, Absolute beauty, That which contains all the world's majesty and misery And which is only visible to those who love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/brief-like-beauty-absolute-beauty-that-which-contains-all-the-world-s/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“There are books for when you’re bored. Plenty of them. There are books for when you’re calm. The best kind, in my opinion. 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What comes of love is always something better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/nothing-good-ever-comes-of-love-what-comes-of-love-is-always/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“book on Archimboldi, a book that might be the grand Archimboldian opus, the pilot fish that would swim for a long time beside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/book-on-archimboldi-a-book-that-might-be-the-grand-archimboldian-opus/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [Literature is the product of a strange rain of blood, sweat, semen, and tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/literature-is-the-product-of-a-strange-rain-of-blood-sweat-semen-and/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“The brief sound is like a color swallowed by a crack. 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Watch the new episode of ridiculousness. fuckvalentinesday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-are-you-going-to-do-on-valentines-day-watch-the-new-episode-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My joy is that there is no such world at all, but that the substance of life is in everyone! There is no reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/my-joy-is-that-there-is-no-such-world-at-all-but-that-the-substance/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [I'm trying to put the ridiculousness to bed. The president of the United States is the president of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-m-trying-to-put-the-ridiculousness-to-bed-the-president-of-the/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [You can only begin to be great when you embrace a sense of your own ridiculousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/you-can-only-begin-to-be-great-when-you-embrace-a-sense-of-your-own/) [Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/) > [My parents are both very funny but they're also relatively soft-spoken, normal human beings while I'm just a lunatic. I don't know where this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/my-parents-are-both-very-funny-but-they-re-also-relatively-soft/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I have very, very specific ideas about how I want to do my work and how I want to be perceived and to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-have-very-very-specific-ideas-about-how-i-want-to-do-my-work-and/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [“I once asked Arpit Bala, an influencer with a brutally loyal following, about the resentment felt by office-goers against self-employed content creators. He spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-minus-verma/i-once-asked-arpit-bala-an-influencer-with-a-brutally-loyal-following/) Anurag Minus Verma > [We are not actually in charge of life, yet behave as if we are the masters of our own destiny. The realization of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-childish/we-are-not-actually-in-charge-of-life-yet-behave-as-if-we-are-the/) [Billy Childish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-childish/) > [Hold on. So in my mind, this jacked-up, sideways ridiculousness is the normal state?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/hold-on-so-in-my-mind-this-jacked-up-sideways-ridiculousness-is-the/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [The ridiculousness and idiocy of life is embraced and examined. It nurtures the childhood perspective in everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/the-ridiculousness-and-idiocy-of-life-is-embraced-and-examined-it/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [I think the height of ridiculousness was when I was playing Elizabeth in 'The Golden Age' while preparing to start shooting 'I'm Not There.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-the-height-of-ridiculousness-was-when-i-was-playing-elizabeth/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Any set in the world, I feel ridiculous. There's a lot of ridiculousness in my job. The people are the fun part. But, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/any-set-in-the-world-i-feel-ridiculous-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [“Whatever exists is inevitably flawed. Buddha, in his detachment from the world, finds all its hustle and bustle ridiculous because he has nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-exists-is-inevitably-flawed-buddha-in-his-detachment-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What stops me from taking myself seriously, even though I am essentially a serious person, is that I find myself extremely ridiculous, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/what-stops-me-from-taking-myself-seriously-even-though-i-am/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“...his ridiculousness was a form of vitality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/his-ridiculousness-was-a-form-of-vitality/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) [Browse all 20 Ridiculousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculousness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I get the idea perfectly, Mickey,\" said Archimboldi, thinking all the while that this man was not only irritating but ridiculous, with the particular ridiculousness of self-dramatizers and poor fools convinced they've been present at a decisive moment in history, when it's common knowledge, thought Archimboldi, that history, which is a simple whore, has no decisive moments but is a proliferation of instants, brief interludes that vie with one another in monstrousness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roberto Bolano" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-archimboldi-thinking-all-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ridiculousness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-archimboldi-thinking-all-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-arc_611340.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I get the idea perfectly, Mickey,\" said Archimboldi, thinking all the while that this man was not only…” — Roberto Bolano", "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": "Roberto Bolano", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I get the idea perfectly, Mickey,\"...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-archimboldi-thinking-all-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-get-the-idea-perfectly-mickey-said-archimboldi-thinking-all-the/#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 } } ] } ```