---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I called my mother up when they announced…"
description: "\"I called my mother up when they announced the Nobel Prize, waiting until 7 in the morning. She said, \"That's nice - and when are you going to see me ne..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg"
---

#  I called my mother up when they announced the Nobel Prize…

![“I called my mother up when they announced the Nobel Prize, waiting until 7 in the morning. She said, &quot;That's nice - and when are you going to see me next?&quot;” quote by Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg)

> “I called my mother up when they announced the Nobel Prize, waiting until 7 in the morning. She said, "That's nice - and when are you going to see me next?"”

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Even after major achievements, personal relationships remain a priority and source of comfort.

**In simple terms:** Achievements don’t replace personal connections.

Key Takeaway

Stay connected with loved ones.

Themes

family humility balance

Mood

grateful thoughtful

Type

personal motivational

When to use this quote

- post‑award life
- career transitions
- family gatherings

Key Concepts

psychology life priorities

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain relationships amid busy schedules?
- What rituals keep you grounded?

A Different Perspective

Success can create distance from loved ones.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/)

## Related quotes

> [ I'm the least-educated person in my immediate family. My two other brothers have multiple advanced degrees, and I only have one. \[...\] Actually, now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-m-the-least-educated-person-in-my-immediate-family-my-two-other/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [I'm waiting for that Morning, when Me and My Dream both will be Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashank-rayal/i-m-waiting-for-that-morning-when-me-and-my-dream-both-will-be/)

[Shashank Rayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashank-rayal/)

> [“I can't read, can't listen to music. I can't do anything but just sit there, waiting for morning to come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-can-t-read-can-t-listen-to-music-i-can-t-do-anything-but-just-sit/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“The thing about reality is that it's still there waiting for you the next morning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-orange-is-the-new-black/the-thing-about-reality-is-that-it-s-still-there-waiting-for-you-the/)

Rosa - Orange is the new black

> [I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/i-have-always-been-delighted-at-the-prospect-of-a-new-day-a-fresh-try/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [If you are waiting each morning for happiness to come your way you will only wake up and fall asleep miserable. Happiness must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-waiting-each-morning-for-happiness-to-come-your-way-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Been looking for a way to get home, it seems there’s no directions left for me. I’ll follow the trail on my own, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-carlino/been-looking-for-a-way-to-get-home-it-seems-there-s-no-directions/)

[Renee Carlino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-carlino/)

> [The Nobel Prize confers on an individual an authority which in economics no man ought to possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-nobel-prize-confers-on-an-individual-an-authority-which-in/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [ \[on what characteristics Nobel prize winning physicists had in common\] I cannot think of a single one, not even intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/on-what-characteristics-nobel-prize-winning-physicists-had-in-common/)

[Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/)

> [I think the team that successfully puts together an economic and social policy framework for global full employment in decent working conditions based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/i-think-the-team-that-successfully-puts-together-an-economic-and/)

[Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/)

> [Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton, Of all the nobel prizes that I've never won, And I may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/well-i-don-t-know-how-many-pounds-make-up-a-ton-of-all-the-nobel/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/)

[Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/)

> [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/)

[Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/)

## More by Steven Chu

> [Coal is My Worst Nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/coal-is-my-worst-nightmare/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [There were only two other Chinese families in this town of 25,000, but to our parents, the determining factor was the quality of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/there-were-only-two-other-chinese-families-in-this-town-of-25-000-but/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [If other countries don't impose a cost on carbon, then we will be at a disadvantage...we would look at considering perhaps duties that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/if-other-countries-don-t-impose-a-cost-on-carbon-then-we-will-be-at-a/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [Since I walked in the door as secretary of energy, I've been doing everything in our powers to do what we can to reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/since-i-walked-in-the-door-as-secretary-of-energy-i-ve-been-doing/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [Occasionally, I would focus on a particular school project and become obsessed with, what seemed to my mother, to be trivial details instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/occasionally-i-would-focus-on-a-particular-school-project-and-become/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and uncles had Ph.D.s in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [Let me state what the official IPCC prediction is: Sea levels could go up as much as three-quarters of a meter in this century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/let-me-state-what-the-official-ipcc-prediction-is-sea-levels-could-go/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [For the better part of my last semester at Garden City High, I constructed a physical pendulum and used it to make a "precision"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/for-the-better-part-of-my-last-semester-at-garden-city-high-i/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [The biggest gains, in terms of decreasing the country's energy bill, the amount of carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere, and our dependency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/the-biggest-gains-in-terms-of-decreasing-the-country-s-energy-bill/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [I approached the bulk of my schoolwork as a chore rather than an intellectual adventure. The tedium was relieved by a few courses that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-approached-the-bulk-of-my-schoolwork-as-a-chore-rather-than-an/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [In the summer after kindergarten, a friend introduced me to the joys of building plastic model airplanes and warships. By the fourth grade, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/in-the-summer-after-kindergarten-a-friend-introduced-me-to-the-joys/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [The ideal protective layer for a lithium metal anode needs to be chemically stable to protect against the chemical reactions with the electrolyte and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/the-ideal-protective-layer-for-a-lithium-metal-anode-needs-to-be/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [By the fourth grade, I graduated to an erector set and spent many happy hours constructing devices of unknown purpose where the main design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/by-the-fourth-grade-i-graduated-to-an-erector-set-and-spent-many/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [Of course we don't want the price of gasoline to go up, we want it to go down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/of-course-we-don-t-want-the-price-of-gasoline-to-go-up-we-want-it-to/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

> [My physics teacher, Thomas Miner was particularly gifted. To this day, I remember how he introduced the subject of physics. He told us we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/my-physics-teacher-thomas-miner-was-particularly-gifted-to-this-day-i/)

[Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

[Explore all 43 Steven Chu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/)

## More Morning quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Good morning haters, Im here again to let you kiss my ass. :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shennon-fabiano/good-morning-haters-im-here-again-to-let-you-kiss-my-ass-p/)

[Shennon Fabiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shennon-fabiano/)

> [The morning breez and dew are still cold until they get hot by the sun,don't be deceive is morning wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakre-basit-babatunde/the-morning-breez-and-dew-are-still-cold-until-they-get-hot-by-the/)

[Bakre Basit Babatunde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakre-basit-babatunde/)

> [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/)

[Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/)

> [When I wake up on a Monday morning, it's nice knowing for the next 10-12 days that I don't have to do much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-i-wake-up-on-a-monday-morning-it-s-nice-knowing-for-the-next-10/)

[Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/)

> [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/)

[George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“It's morning now, and I miss the soft rasp of her voice already. Ugh. I'm in trouble, aren't I?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-shand/it-s-morning-now-and-i-miss-the-soft-rasp-of-her-voice-already-ugh-i/)

[Pat Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-shand/)

> [Guys wake up at your place and they expect breakfast. They don't eat bagels and M&amp;M's in the morning. They want things like toast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/guys-wake-up-at-your-place-and-they-expect-breakfast-they-don-t-eat/)

[Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/)

> [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. That is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/some-people-enjoy-taking-a-light-stroll-in-the-morning-and-that-gives/)

[Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Whether one is twenty, forty, or sixty; whether one has succeeded, failed or just muddled along; whether yesterday was full of sun or storm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-mitchell-hodges/whether-one-is-twenty-forty-or-sixty-whether-one-has-succeeded-failed/)

Leigh Mitchell Hodges

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

[Browse all 10,587 Morning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I called my mother up when they announced the Nobel Prize, waiting until 7 in the morning. She said, \"That's nice - and when are you going to see me next?\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Chu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announced-the-nobel-prize-waiting/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Morning"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announced-the-nobel-prize-waiting/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/steven-chu-15304_morning_i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announce_1384247.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I called my mother up when they announced the Nobel Prize, waiting until 7 in the morning. She said, \"That's…” — Steven Chu",
                "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": "Steven Chu",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I called my mother up when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announced-the-nobel-prize-waiting/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/i-called-my-mother-up-when-they-announced-the-nobel-prize-waiting/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
