--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was so surprised because I'm not too…" description: "\"I was so surprised because I'm not too sure whether I could win a Nobel Prize, you know, because basically, physics, it means that usually people was a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca2/shuji-nakamura-25008_awarded_i-was-so-surprised-because-i-m-not-too-s_2403806.jpg" --- # I was so surprised because I'm not too sure whether I… ![“I was so surprised because I'm not too sure whether I could win a Nobel Prize, you know, because basically, physics, it means that usually people was awarded for the invention of the basic theory. But in my case, not a basic theory, in my case just making the device, you know.” quote by Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca2/shuji-nakamura-25008_awarded_i-was-so-surprised-because-i-m-not-too-s_2403806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca2/shuji-nakamura-25008_awarded_i-was-so-surprised-because-i-m-not-too-s_2403806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca2/shuji-nakamura-25008_awarded_i-was-so-surprised-because-i-m-not-too-s_2403806.jpg) > “I was so surprised because I'm not too sure whether I could win a Nobel Prize, you know, because basically, physics, it means that usually people was awarded for the invention of the basic theory. But in my case, not a basic theory, in my case just making the device, you know.” [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on feeling unexpected about winning a Nobel for device invention rather than fundamental theory, highlighting the value of applied innovation. **In simple terms:** Winning a Nobel for a device feels surprising. Key Takeaway Celebrate practical breakthroughs. Themes science innovation recognition Mood inspirational humble Type scientific motivational When to use this quote - research labs - entrepreneurial ventures - academic awards Key Concepts physics technology achievement Questions to Reflect On - How do applied inventions shape science? - What role does humility play in success? A Different Perspective The focus on awards may undervalue collaborative effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awarded/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) [Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not sure whether I could win a Nobel Prize or not, but the Nobel Committee called me, and, 'You got the Nobel Prize.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/i-m-not-sure-whether-i-could-win-a-nobel-prize-or-not-but-the-nobel/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [It is a great honor to be awarded a Nobel Prize. This is a wonderful experience for my wife Betty and me. We received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-boyle/it-is-a-great-honor-to-be-awarded-a-nobel-prize-this-is-a-wonderful/) Willard Boyle > [My first reaction on being awarded the Nobel Prize was, actually, I thought of Fischer Black, my colleague. He unfortunately had passed away. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myron-scholes/my-first-reaction-on-being-awarded-the-nobel-prize-was-actually-i/) [Myron Scholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myron-scholes/) > [“I expect to be awarded the Nobel prize for researching what professional astronomers did not want researched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-expect-to-be-awarded-the-nobel-prize-for-researching-what/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“someday you're going to win the Nobel Prize for Being Incredibly Pedantic, and I'm going to be so proud of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/someday-you-re-going-to-win-the-nobel-prize-for-being-incredibly/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [As a Greek woman, the most important thing you can do in life is get married and have children. You could win the Nobel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-smyles/as-a-greek-woman-the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-in-life-is-get/) [Iris Smyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-smyles/) > [Two sons, they'll both be presidents after they win their Nobel Prizes. And the daughters, they'll be prima ballerinas before they become the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-suskind/two-sons-they-ll-both-be-presidents-after-they-win-their-nobel-prizes/) [Ron Suskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-suskind/) > [Marie Curie is in a class all her own as the first female winner and still the only person to win the Nobel Prize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/marie-curie-is-in-a-class-all-her-own-as-the-first-female-winner-and/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [I was absolutely convinced that I wouldn't win the Nobel Prize. My impression was that the Nobel Prize in Literature was given to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-was-absolutely-convinced-that-i-wouldn-t-win-the-nobel-prize-my/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [When you look at the light bulb above you, you remember Thomas Alva Edison. When the telephone bell rings, you remember Alexander Graham Bell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/when-you-look-at-the-light-bulb-above-you-you-remember-thomas-alva/) [A. P. J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/) > [If you tell someone, 'Hey, your daughter is going to win a Nobel Prize someday,' it makes it less likely. If you say, 'Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-ming/if-you-tell-someone-hey-your-daughter-is-going-to-win-a-nobel-prize/) [Vivienne Ming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-ming/) > [It's no secret that Europeans and Americans win most Nobel prizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-fisher/it-s-no-secret-that-europeans-and-americans-win-most-nobel-prizes/) [Max Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-fisher/) > [“I expect I will win one Nobel prize and I may end up eventually winning all categories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-expect-i-will-win-one-nobel-prize-and-i-may-end-up-eventually/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [The Nobel Prize is worth $1.5 million, but that's not the issue. Do the distinguished scientists who win the Nobel Prize need the money?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/the-nobel-prize-is-worth-1-5-million-but-that-s-not-the-issue-do-the/) [Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/) > [To become a token womanwhether you win the Nobel Prize or merely get tenure at the cost of denying your sistersis to become something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-become-a-token-womanwhether-you-win-the-nobel-prize-or-merely-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Shuji Nakamura > [I couldn't achieve the American dream in Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/i-couldn-t-achieve-the-american-dream-in-japan/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [You work to earn money. But in Japan, that idea has a bad image, and you're not supposed to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/you-work-to-earn-money-but-in-japan-that-idea-has-a-bad-image-and-you/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [My dream was to work for one of the big electronics companies like Sony or Panasonic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/my-dream-was-to-work-for-one-of-the-big-electronics-companies-like/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [I wanted to quit Nichia. I didn't care about anything. It was OK for them to fire me. I was not afraid of anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/i-wanted-to-quit-nichia-i-didn-t-care-about-anything-it-was-ok-for/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [If I had gone to a big company, it would have been very difficult for me to do research freely. At a big company,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/if-i-had-gone-to-a-big-company-it-would-have-been-very-difficult-for/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [I'm not sure whether I could win a Nobel Prize or not, but the Nobel Committee called me, and, 'You got the Nobel Prize.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/i-m-not-sure-whether-i-could-win-a-nobel-prize-or-not-but-the-nobel/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [A small company like Nichia should do niche products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/a-small-company-like-nichia-should-do-niche-products/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [I have been very fortunate to be supported by many people in my career. I also appreciate my personal friends, business friends, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/i-have-been-very-fortunate-to-be-supported-by-many-people-in-my/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [It's good to have high-quality competition. It helps drive research forward at a faster pace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/it-s-good-to-have-high-quality-competition-it-helps-drive-research/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [The most important thing I learned at the University of Florida is that a Ph.D. and writing papers is very important in the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-at-the-university-of-florida-is/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [The LED light bulb is more than ten times the efficiency of regular incandescent lighting, so it can save the world hundreds of billions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/the-led-light-bulb-is-more-than-ten-times-the-efficiency-of-regular/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [I am thankful to Nichia Chemical Corporation and its founder Nobu Ogawa, who gave me the research opportunity to create a blue LED.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/i-am-thankful-to-nichia-chemical-corporation-and-its-founder-nobu/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [Many researchers have joined the field and applied the LED to many new markets such as mobile phone screens, LED TV, and LED Lighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/many-researchers-have-joined-the-field-and-applied-the-led-to-many/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [The promise of energy savings, reduced carbon emissions and affordable lighting was there from the inception. The proliferation of the technology into areas such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/the-promise-of-energy-savings-reduced-carbon-emissions-and-affordable/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) > [The Japanese press likes me a lot, but the problem is the Japanese government. It's very bureaucratic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuji-nakamura/the-japanese-press-likes-me-a-lot-but-the-problem-is-the-japanese/) [Shuji Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) [Explore all 23 Shuji Nakamura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuji-nakamura/) ## More Awarded quotes > [It's an honor to be awarded the Liberty Medal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/it-s-an-honor-to-be-awarded-the-liberty-medal/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [In La Liga you are awarded for consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-simeone/in-la-liga-you-are-awarded-for-consistency/) [Diego Simeone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-simeone/) > [Western countries are thoroughly accustomed to being the centre of global attention, which they have come to regard as their natural birthright. Not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/western-countries-are-thoroughly-accustomed-to-being-the-centre-of/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [The era during which only governments could put hardware on the Moon is coming to an end. There are 26 private teams competing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-era-during-which-only-governments-could-put-hardware-on-the-moon/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > ['To Kill a Mockingbird' appeared to highly favorable reviews and quickly climbed to the top of bestseller lists, where it remained for more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/to-kill-a-mockingbird-appeared-to-highly-favorable-reviews-and/) [Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/) > [Once there was a boy so meek and modest, he was awarded a Most Humble badge. The next day, it was taken away because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/once-there-was-a-boy-so-meek-and-modest-he-was-awarded-a-most-humble/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [When I was in high school, I lettered in math. The only thing that was important was football. There were two other letters that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-kelley/when-i-was-in-high-school-i-lettered-in-math-the-only-thing-that-was/) [David M. Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-kelley/) > [My first reaction on being awarded the Nobel Prize was, actually, I thought of Fischer Black, my colleague. He unfortunately had passed away. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myron-scholes/my-first-reaction-on-being-awarded-the-nobel-prize-was-actually-i/) [Myron Scholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myron-scholes/) > [I was awarded a second-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu by Rigan Machado.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-barnett/i-was-awarded-a-second-degree-black-belt-in-jiu-jitsu-by-rigan-machado/) [Josh Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-barnett/) > [“I expect to be awarded the Nobel prize for researching what professional astronomers did not want researched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-expect-to-be-awarded-the-nobel-prize-for-researching-what/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I feel a deep emotion and pride for the honor of having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1992.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-feel-a-deep-emotion-and-pride-for-the-honor-of-having-been-awarded/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [In the Long Run Luck is awarded to the efficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-long-run-luck-is-awarded-to-the-efficient/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel peace prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/political-satire-became-obsolete-when-henry-kissinger-was-awarded-the/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [To be awarded a prize which takes its name from an illustrious Dutchman who at the same time was a great citizen of Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-d-clark/to-be-awarded-a-prize-which-takes-its-name-from-an-illustrious/) [John G. D. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-d-clark/) > [The groups that have awarded them are all a little different. It's a little hard to single out any one for that, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kilby/the-groups-that-have-awarded-them-are-all-a-little-different-it-s-a/) [Jack Kilby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kilby/) [Browse all 26 Awarded quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awarded/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was so surprised because I'm not too sure whether I could win a Nobel Prize, you know, because basically, physics, it means that usually people was awarded for the invention of the basic theory. 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