--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m mercurial, sometimes I want…" description: "\"“I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.”\" — Roberto Bolaño" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg" --- # I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just… ![“I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.” quote by Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg) > ““I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.”” [Roberto Bolaño](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. The speaker acknowledges fluctuating ambition, alternating between seeking greatness and being content with its mere impression. **In simple terms:** Desire swings between aiming high and settling for its echo. Key Takeaway Accept both drive and humility. Themes ambition self‑perception identity Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal growth - relationship dynamics Key Concepts psychology self‑esteem motivation Questions to Reflect On - What drives your desire for greatness? - How do you balance ambition with contentment? A Different Perspective Greatness may be unsustainable without clear purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Mercurial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercurial-3281890/) [Mercurial Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercurial-want-3281889/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Want Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-greatness-1610201/) ## Related quotes > [“Those who truly want greatness must surround themselves with people even greater than they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/those-who-truly-want-greatness-must-surround-themselves-with-people/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [I want greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/i-want-greatness/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) > [All I want is greatness for West Virginia, and I'll work with anyone who is ready to help me turn this state around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/all-i-want-is-greatness-for-west-virginia-and-i-ll-work-with-anyone/) [Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/) > [I want things to be the best they can be I want greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/i-want-things-to-be-the-best-they-can-be-i-want-greatness/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) > [“Git or Mercurial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/git-or-mercurial/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We are too mercurial for our own good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/we-are-too-mercurial-for-our-own-good/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [The marketplace is absolutely mercurial. But what I love about our company is that we create a vision, and then we go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-fils-aime/the-marketplace-is-absolutely-mercurial-but-what-i-love-about-our/) [Reggie Fils-Aime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-fils-aime/) > [I'm totally on a mission to find my signature scent, but I'm too mercurial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexa-doig/i-m-totally-on-a-mission-to-find-my-signature-scent-but-i-m-too/) [Lexa Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexa-doig/) > [I am quite a mercurial person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-am-quite-a-mercurial-person/) [Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [There is no budget for travel for a Shadow Foreign Secretary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/there-is-no-budget-for-travel-for-a-shadow-foreign-secretary/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) ## More by Roberto Bolaño > [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. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/there-are-books-for-when-you-re-bored-plenty-of-them-there-are-books/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“I try to find the books that I lost or forgot more than 30 years ago on another continent, with the hope and dedication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-try-to-find-the-books-that-i-lost-or-forgot-more-than-30-years-ago/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“In a word, and bluntly: as they walked around Sankt Pauli, it came to Pelletier and Espinoza that the search for Archimboldi could never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/in-a-word-and-bluntly-as-they-walked-around-sankt-pauli-it-came-to/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [We're artists too, but we do a good job hiding it, don't we?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/we-re-artists-too-but-we-do-a-good-job-hiding-it-don-t-we/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [Nothing good ever comes of love. 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. But what color?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/the-brief-sound-is-like-a-color-swallowed-by-a-crack-but-what-color/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“All horrors are dulled by routine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/all-horrors-are-dulled-by-routine/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“The fourth dimension, he liked to say, encompasses the three dimensions and consequently puts them in their place, that is, it obliterates the dictatorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/the-fourth-dimension-he-liked-to-say-encompasses-the-three-dimensions/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [Every book in the world is out there waiting to be read by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/every-book-in-the-world-is-out-there-waiting-to-be-read-by-me/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“Y después de coger a mi general le gustaba salir al patio a fumarse su cigarro y a pensar en la tristeza poscoito, en…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/y-despu-s-de-coger-a-mi-general-le-gustaba-salir-al-patio-a-fumarse/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“I enjoy vegetarian food like I enjoy a kick in the stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-enjoy-vegetarian-food-like-i-enjoy-a-kick-in-the-stomach/) [Roberto Bolano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) [Explore all 303 Roberto Bolaño quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) ## More Greatness quotes > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. 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Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Men generally decide upon a middle course, which is most hazardous, for they know neither how to be entirely good nor entirely bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-generally-decide-upon-a-middle-course-which-is-most-hazardous-for/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) [Whitney Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-gaskell/) [Browse all 7,631 Greatness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roberto Bolaño" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness-sometimes-just-its-shadow/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Greatness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness-sometimes-just-its-shadow/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/roberto-bola-o-725_quote_i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness_1154995.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.” — Roberto Bolaño", "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 Bolaño", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I’m mercurial, sometimes I want greatness,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness-sometimes-just-its-shadow/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/i-m-mercurial-sometimes-i-want-greatness-sometimes-just-its-shadow/#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 } } ] } ```