--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can you remember, Acte...how much easier…" description: "\"“Can you remember, Acte...how much easier our belief in Nero made life for us in the old days? And can you remember the paralysis, the numbness that se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg" --- # Can you remember, Acte...how much easier our belief in… ![“Can you remember, Acte...how much easier our belief in Nero made life for us in the old days? And can you remember the paralysis, the numbness that seized the whole world when Nero died? Didn't you feel as if the world had grown bare and colorless all of a sudden? Those people on the Palatine have…” quote by Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg) > ““Can you remember, Acte...how much easier our belief in Nero made life for us in the old days? And can you remember the paralysis, the numbness that seized the whole world when Nero died? Didn't you feel as if the world had grown bare and colorless all of a sudden? Those people on the Palatine have tried to steal our Nero from us, from you and me. Isn't splendid to think that we can show them they haven't succeeded? They have smashed his statues into splinters, erased his name from all the inscriptions, they even replaced his head on that huge statue in Rome with the peasant head of old Vespasian. Isn't it fine to teach them that all that hasn't been of the slightest use? Granted that they have been successful for a few years. For a few years they have actually managed to banish all imagination from the world, all enthusiasm, extravagance, everything that makes life worth living. But now, with our Nero, all these things are back again.”” [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how the loss of a charismatic, even tyrannical, figure can leave society feeling empty, and how the revival of that spirit restores imagination and vitality. **In simple terms:** Losing a dominant figure leaves a cultural void; reviving it restores life. Key Takeaway Embrace the creative energy that follows the fall of oppressive symbols. Themes culture memory imaginary rebirth politics Mood melancholic hopeful defiant Type literary philosophical political When to use this quote - political upheaval - artistic movements - public mourning - restoration of cultural heritage Key Concepts Nero collective identity iconoclasm cultural revival Questions to Reflect On - What symbols in your life have been both oppressive and inspiring? - How does reclaiming a lost narrative empower a community? A Different Perspective The comparison to Nero may oversimplify complex historical realities and glorify destructive figures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief Nero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-nero-5226386/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-worth-living/) [Nero Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nero-life-5226389/) [Nero Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nero-things-5226388/) [Steal Nero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steal-nero-5226390/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World Nero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-nero-5226387/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/) ## Related quotes > [“It is the transience of life which proves its inestimable worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-harrop/it-is-the-transience-of-life-which-proves-its-inestimable-worth/) [D.B. Harrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-harrop/) > [Between the marketplace and government there exists all of that which makes life worth living-family life, spiritual life, the art and culture that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/between-the-marketplace-and-government-there-exists-all-of-that-which/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We make believe every day, we make our lives seem like they're still worth living, when we find out in the end it's only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/we-make-believe-every-day-we-make-our-lives-seem-like-they-re-still/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [“I don’t want safety or guarantees— I want a life worth living. I want to jump off a skyscraper And fashion a parachute on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-wetch/i-don-t-want-safety-or-guarantees-i-want-a-life-worth-living-i-want/) [Justin Wetch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-wetch/) > [What makes life worth living? Better surely, to yield to the stain of suicide blood in me and seek forgetfulness in the embrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/what-makes-life-worth-living-better-surely-to-yield-to-the-stain-of/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [People never change because they are under threat or under duress. Never. They change because they see something that makes their life seem valuable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-downey-jr/people-never-change-because-they-are-under-threat-or-under-duress/) [Robert Downey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-downey-jr/) > [A life worth living might be measured in many ways, but the one way that stands above all others is living a life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-worth-living-might-be-measured-in-many-ways-but-the-one-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Make your life worth living for, by living for the One who values it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-vonderluft/make-your-life-worth-living-for-by-living-for-the-one-who-values-it/) [Anya vonderLuft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-vonderluft/) > [“I know that a lot of Christian kids rebel. But as I said earlier, I'm convinced that most of them don't really want to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kimmel/i-know-that-a-lot-of-christian-kids-rebel-but-as-i-said-earlier-i-m/) [Tim Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kimmel/) > [“Mistakes can be very beautiful. Mistakes lead to surprises. Even joy. And joy makes life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-winfield/mistakes-can-be-very-beautiful-mistakes-lead-to-surprises-even-joy/) [Ryan Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-winfield/) > [Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/is-life-worth-living-this-is-a-question-for-an-embryo-not-for-a-man/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“A warrior confronts colonialism with the truth in order to regenerate authenticity and recreate a life worth living and principles worth dying for. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiaiake-alfred/a-warrior-confronts-colonialism-with-the-truth-in-order-to-regenerate/) [Taiaiake Alfred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiaiake-alfred/) ## More by Lion Feuchtwanger > [There's only a step from the sublime to the ridiculous, but there's no road leading from the ridiculous to the sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/there-s-only-a-step-from-the-sublime-to-the-ridiculous-but-there-s-no/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [An author who sets about to depict events of the past that have run their course is suspected of wishing to avoid the problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/an-author-who-sets-about-to-depict-events-of-the-past-that-have-run/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [From depicting the past, so goes the suspicion, it is a short step to glorifying the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/from-depicting-the-past-so-goes-the-suspicion-it-is-a-short-step-to/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [Ever since my youth it has disturbed me that of the literary works that survived their own epoch, so many dealt with historical rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/ever-since-my-youth-it-has-disturbed-me-that-of-the-literary-works/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [“(Er) hat in unbegreiflicher Verblendung übersehen, daß ein Mensch auch ohne selbstständige Ideen und ohne Persönlichkeit in dem Augenblick Wesen und Inhalt annimt, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/er-hat-in-unbegreiflicher-verblendung-bersehen-da-ein-mensch-auch/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [Both the historian and the novelist view history as the struggle of a tiny minority, able and determined to make judgments, which is up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/both-the-historian-and-the-novelist-view-history-as-the-struggle-of-a/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [After closely examining my conscience, I venture to state that in my historical novels I intended the content to be just as modern and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/after-closely-examining-my-conscience-i-venture-to-state-that-in-my/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [“In itself it is nothing. Nothing but a book: parchment, colouring, ink. Yet the most perishable material is at the same time the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/in-itself-it-is-nothing-nothing-but-a-book-parchment-colouring-ink/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [I should add that it is open to debate whether what we call the writing of history these days is truly scientific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/i-should-add-that-it-is-open-to-debate-whether-what-we-call-the/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [“I have sincerely tried not to deride the action of men, not to lament nor to abhor them. I have done all in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/i-have-sincerely-tried-not-to-deride-the-action-of-men-not-to-lament/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [Like the philosopher, the author views his task as one of establishing a clear connection between life and history, and of making the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/like-the-philosopher-the-author-views-his-task-as-one-of-establishing/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [Asking the author of historical novels to teach you about history is like expecting the composer of a melody to provide answers about radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/asking-the-author-of-historical-novels-to-teach-you-about-history-is/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [An action doesn't have to be wrong just because it is not logical. It doesn't have to be right just because it has its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/an-action-doesn-t-have-to-be-wrong-just-because-it-is-not-logical-it/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [“The word and the image mutually excluded each other. Joseph was a literary man to his very marrow; he put faith in the invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/the-word-and-the-image-mutually-excluded-each-other-joseph-was-a/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [What is a historian, anyway? It is someone who uses facts to record the development of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/what-is-a-historian-anyway-it-is-someone-who-uses-facts-to-record-the/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) [Explore all 18 Lion Feuchtwanger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) ## More Faith quotes > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/) [Matt Morris (1](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-morris-1/) > [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. The eternal truths of the Kingdom aren’t altered or affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/just-because-your-faith-is-shaken-doesn-t-mean-the-faith-is-shaken/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) [Browse all 37,796 Faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Can you remember, Acte...how much easier our belief in Nero made life for us in the old days? And can you remember the paralysis, the numbness that seized the whole world when Nero died? Didn't you feel as if the world had grown bare and colorless all of a sudden? Those people on the Palatine have tried to steal our Nero from us, from you and me. Isn't splendid to think that we can show them they haven't succeeded? They have smashed his statues into splinters, erased his name from all the inscriptions, they even replaced his head on that huge statue in Rome with the peasant head of old Vespasian. Isn't it fine to teach them that all that hasn't been of the slightest use? Granted that they have been successful for a few years. For a few years they have actually managed to banish all imagination from the world, all enthusiasm, extravagance, everything that makes life worth living. But now, with our Nero, all these things are back again.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lion Feuchtwanger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-our-belief-in-nero-made-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Faith" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-our-belief-in-nero-made-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2e/lion-feuchtwanger-25450_faith_can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-ou_654360.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Can you remember, Acte...how much easier our belief in Nero made life for us in the old days? And can you…” — Lion Feuchtwanger", "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": "Lion Feuchtwanger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Can you remember, Acte...how much easier...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-our-belief-in-nero-made-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/can-you-remember-acte-how-much-easier-our-belief-in-nero-made-life/#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 } } ] } ```