--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They say that Nero started the fire…" description: "\"They say that Nero started the fire himself because he needed a suitable backdrop for his concert.\" — Victor Borge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg" --- # They say that Nero started the fire himself because he… ![“They say that Nero started the fire himself because he needed a suitable backdrop for his concert.” quote by Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg) > “They say that Nero started the fire himself because he needed a suitable backdrop for his concert.” [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous myth that Nero used a fire as a stage backdrop for his music. **In simple terms:** A funny, false story about Nero’s fire. Key Takeaway Question historical anecdotes critically. Themes history humor myth‑busting Mood witty satirical Type comedic educational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - stand‑up comedy - media analysis - public speaking Key Concepts propaganda performance art fire symbolism Questions to Reflect On - Why do we enjoy absurd historical tales? - What does this say about art and disaster? A Different Perspective May spread misinformation if taken seriously. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backdrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backdrop/) [Backdrop Concert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backdrop-concert-3794052/) [Concerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerts/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Nero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nero/) [Nero Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nero-started-3794051/) [Say Nero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-nero-3794053/) [Suitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suitable/) [Suitable Backdrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suitable-backdrop-3794054/) ## Related quotes > [Nero wasn't worried at all when he heard the utterance of the Delphic Oracle: "Beware the age of seventy-three." Plenty of time to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-cavafy/nero-wasn-t-worried-at-all-when-he-heard-the-utterance-of-the-delphic/) [C.P. Cavafy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-cavafy/) > [“I know not how the Christians order their own lives, but I know that where their religion begins, Roman rule ends, Rome itself ends,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-stanczyk/i-know-not-how-the-christians-order-their-own-lives-but-i-know-that/) [Henryk Stanczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-stanczyk/) > [“They never let you live it down. One little mistake!"- Nero”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lynn-asprin/they-never-let-you-live-it-down-one-little-mistake-nero/) [Robert Lynn Asprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lynn-asprin/) > [Thus Nero went up and down Greece and challenged the fiddlers at their trade. Æropus, a Macedonian king, made lanterns; Harcatius, the king of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/thus-nero-went-up-and-down-greece-and-challenged-the-fiddlers-at/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [I try to know what I need to know. I make sure to know what I want to know. (Nero Wolfe)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/i-try-to-know-what-i-need-to-know-i-make-sure-to-know-what-i-want-to/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“I would rather see Rome ruled by a man who once had to ask his accountant tricky questions before his steward could pay the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-davis/i-would-rather-see-rome-ruled-by-a-man-who-once-had-to-ask-his/) [Lindsey Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-davis/) > [By the way, you guys seriously screwed up just now. (Nero) We know. (They said in unison.) Yeah, well, what you don’t know is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/by-the-way-you-guys-seriously-screwed-up-just-now-nero-we-know-they/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I like to think how easily Nature will absorb London as she absorbed the mastodon, setting her spiders to spin the winding-sheet and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomas/i-like-to-think-how-easily-nature-will-absorb-london-as-she-absorbed/) [Edward Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomas/) > [I’m not dead yet. It’s all good. (Omari) Good. That whole spontaneous combustion thing can be a real buzzkill. Ruins your clothes, too. (Nero)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-not-dead-yet-it-s-all-good-omari-good-that-whole-spontaneous/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Darkdoom? Darkdoom did this?" Nero was visibly surprised. He placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples. "Oh, why is it always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walden/darkdoom-darkdoom-did-this-nero-was-visibly-surprised-he-placed-a/) [Mark Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walden/) > [ Punishment \[by Nero\] was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suetonius/punishment-by-nero-was-inflicted-on-the-christians-a-class-of-men/) [Suetonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suetonius/) > [“As Seneca warned Nero: No matter how many of us you kill, you will never kill your successor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/as-seneca-warned-nero-no-matter-how-many-of-us-you-kill-you-will/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“I inherited my sense of passion and romance from the Romans. Specifically Nero and all the fire he possessed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-inherited-my-sense-of-passion-and-romance-from-the-romans/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [You know yourself what you are worth in your own eyes; and at what price you will sell yourself. For men sell themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/you-know-yourself-what-you-are-worth-in-your-own-eyes-and-at-what/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [ “\[Christians\] are people such as the world has not seen hitherto, and their teaching is of a kind that the world has not heard… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-stanczyk/christians-are-people-such-as-the-world-has-not-seen-hitherto-and/) [Henryk Stanczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-stanczyk/) ## More by Victor Borge > [What is the difference between a Nazi and a dog?The Nazi lifts his arm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/what-is-the-difference-between-a-nazi-and-a-dog-the-nazi-lifts-his-arm/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [And now, in honour of the 150th anniversary of Beethoven's death, I would like to play 'Clear the Saloon', er, 'Clair de Lune', by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/and-now-in-honour-of-the-150th-anniversary-of-beethoven-s-death-i/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [Clarinets, like lawyers, have cases, mouthpieces, and they need a constant supply of hot air in order to function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/clarinets-like-lawyers-have-cases-mouthpieces-and-they-need-a/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [Ah Mozart! He was happily married - but his wife wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/ah-mozart-he-was-happily-married-but-his-wife-wasn-t/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [“I'd like to thank my parents for making this night possible. And my children for making it necessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/i-d-like-to-thank-my-parents-for-making-this-night-possible-and-my/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [The oboe sounds like a clarinet with a cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/the-oboe-sounds-like-a-clarinet-with-a-cold/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [Santa Claus has the right idea. Only visit people once a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/santa-claus-has-the-right-idea-only-visit-people-once-a-year/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [Did you know that Mozart had no arms and no legs? I've seen statues of him on people's pianos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/did-you-know-that-mozart-had-no-arms-and-no-legs-i-ve-seen-statues-of/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [I learned to play the piano on my mother's knee - that was before we got a piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/i-learned-to-play-the-piano-on-my-mother-s-knee-that-was-before-we/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [My father invented a cure for which there was no disease and unfortunately my mother caught it and died of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/my-father-invented-a-cure-for-which-there-was-no-disease-and/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [That's why I've never thought of retiring because I do it all the time whether on the stage or off. I found that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/that-s-why-i-ve-never-thought-of-retiring-because-i-do-it-all-the/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [If I have caused just one person to wipe away a tear of laughter, that's my reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/if-i-have-caused-just-one-person-to-wipe-away-a-tear-of-laughter-that/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [I wish to thank my parents for making it all possible? and I wish to thank my children for making it necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/i-wish-to-thank-my-parents-for-making-it-all-possible-and-i-wish-to/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [Santa Claus has the right idea - visit people only once a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/santa-claus-has-the-right-idea-visit-people-only-once-a-year/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [When an opera star sings her head off? she usually improves her appearance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/when-an-opera-star-sings-her-head-off-she-usually-improves-her/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) [Explore all 55 Victor Borge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) ## More Backdrop quotes > [I have the appetite to do different roles that have different backdrops. I'd like to show that there's more to people sitting in cars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romany-malco/i-have-the-appetite-to-do-different-roles-that-have-different/) [Romany Malco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romany-malco/) > [What is Southern California but an ever-changing dreamscape backdrop for the postmodern ideal? The psychology of the postmodern world is the continual state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-van-hamersveld/what-is-southern-california-but-an-ever-changing-dreamscape-backdrop/) [John Van Hamersveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-van-hamersveld/) > [There are people who have no engaged conversation with the land whatsoever, no sense of its beauty or extremes or limits and therefore no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/there-are-people-who-have-no-engaged-conversation-with-the-land/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [... in the eyes of its visitors, Venice has no reality of its own. Anyone visiting the place has already seen so many pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-boltanski/in-the-eyes-of-its-visitors-venice-has-no-reality-of-its-own-anyone/) [Christian Boltanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-boltanski/) > [“\*brush, Pattern \*backdrop)     {      ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-feathers/brush-pattern-backdrop/) [Michael C. Feathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-feathers/) > ['All In' is like the Giants motto, so I kind of took that, and I kind of used New York as the backdrop -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travie-mccoy/all-in-is-like-the-giants-motto-so-i-kind-of-took-that-and-i-kind-of/) [Travie McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travie-mccoy/) > [When I was about five my dad built a stage for me in our basement. A full stage, with a curtain, a backdrop and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reubens/when-i-was-about-five-my-dad-built-a-stage-for-me-in-our-basement-a/) [Paul Reubens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reubens/) > [We try to place the human body in relation to the image all the time, so it's never a kind of a backdrop, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/we-try-to-place-the-human-body-in-relation-to-the-image-all-the-time/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Rocky' is a movie that just happens to be about boxing. It's really about characters and story lines and relationships and all those things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/triple-h/rocky-is-a-movie-that-just-happens-to-be-about-boxing-it-s-really/) [Triple H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/triple-h/) > [It's always more interesting to make a movie about what is relevant in your society. What's the political global backdrop? What are our threats?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/it-s-always-more-interesting-to-make-a-movie-about-what-is-relevant/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) > [Beautifully written, intensely passionate and gripping, FALLEN grabbed me from the first sentence and didn’t let go. Its eerie future world and frightening mores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linnea-sinclair/beautifully-written-intensely-passionate-and-gripping-fallen-grabbed/) [Linnea Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linnea-sinclair/) > [I've read pretty broadly on the Holocaust - both fiction and non-fiction - and to me, 'The Lost Wife' is one of the best.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/i-ve-read-pretty-broadly-on-the-holocaust-both-fiction-and-non/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [Ultimately, users visit your website for its content. Everything else is just the backdrop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/ultimately-users-visit-your-website-for-its-content-everything-else/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [The worst violence we can do to each other often is psychological, especially in families. I dwell a lot on domestic danger. Thats the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-unger/the-worst-violence-we-can-do-to-each-other-often-is-psychological/) [Lisa Unger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-unger/) > [... in the movies Paris is designed as a backdrop for only three things--love, fashion shows, and revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-basinger/in-the-movies-paris-is-designed-as-a-backdrop-for-only-three-things/) [Jeanine Basinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-basinger/) [Browse all 106 Backdrop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backdrop/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They say that Nero started the fire himself because he needed a suitable backdrop for his concert.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Victor Borge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-himself-because-he-needed-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backdrop" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-himself-because-he-needed-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/victor-borge-12307_backdrop_they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-hims_2040369.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They say that Nero started the fire himself because he needed a suitable backdrop for his concert.” — Victor Borge", "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": "Victor Borge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "They say that Nero started the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-himself-because-he-needed-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/they-say-that-nero-started-the-fire-himself-because-he-needed-a/#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 } } ] } ```