--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alfred Nobel regretted that his…" description: "\"Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of the Nobel Prize, as the humanist counter to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg" --- # Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was… ![“Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of the Nobel Prize, as the humanist counter to the destructive power of his genius.” quote by Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg) > “Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of the Nobel Prize, as the humanist counter to the destructive power of his genius.” [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention was used for harm, prompting him to create a prize to honor beneficial contributions. **In simple terms:** Nobel wanted to offset his invention’s damage. Key Takeaway Use achievements to promote good. Themes responsibility science legacy Mood hopeful critical Type inspirational ethical When to use this quote - science policy - education funding - public recognition - peace advocacy Key Concepts ethical innovation social impact Questions to Reflect On - Can awards truly redirect technological use? - What responsibilities do inventors have? A Different Perspective The prize may not fully counteract the damage caused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Humanist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanist/) [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/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) ## Related quotes > [I can forgive Alfred Nobel for having invented dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-can-forgive-alfred-nobel-for-having-invented-dynamite-but-only-a/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The Nobel prizes memorialize Alfred Nobel's faith in the contribution that human thought, directed to science and art, can make to human welfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-a-simon/the-nobel-prizes-memorialize-alfred-nobel-s-faith-in-the-contribution/) [Herbert A. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-simon/) > [My co-winners, Peter Diamond and Christopher Pissarides, and I wish to thank the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Foundation for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/my-co-winners-peter-diamond-and-christopher-pissarides-and-i-wish-to/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [As murderous industrial magnates go, Alfred Nobel is right up there with Ray Kroc, franchiser of McDonald's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/as-murderous-industrial-magnates-go-alfred-nobel-is-right-up-there/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Alfred Nobel was much concerned, as are we all, with the tangible benefits we hope for and expect from physiological and medical research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haldan-keffer-hartline/alfred-nobel-was-much-concerned-as-are-we-all-with-the-tangible/) [Haldan Keffer Hartline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haldan-keffer-hartline/) > [“There is a story about Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. One day his older brother died, and a newspaper got the story wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-a-lew/there-is-a-story-about-alfred-nobel-the-inventor-of-dynamite-one-day/) [Alan A. Lew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-a-lew/) > [Written in 1895, Alfred Nobel's will endowed prizes for scientific research in chemistry, physics, and medicine. At that time, these fields were narrowly defined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-agre/written-in-1895-alfred-nobel-s-will-endowed-prizes-for-scientific/) [Peter Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-agre/) > [When I was young my Father used to tell me that the two most worthwhile pursuits in life were the pursuit of truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-sanger/when-i-was-young-my-father-used-to-tell-me-that-the-two-most/) [Frederick Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-sanger/) > [I share Alfred Nobel's conviction that war is the greatest of all human disasters. Infectious disease runs a good second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-c-doherty/i-share-alfred-nobel-s-conviction-that-war-is-the-greatest-of-all/) [Peter C. Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-c-doherty/) > [Alfred Nobel - pitiable half-creature, should have been stifled by humane doctor when he made his entry yelling into life. Greatest merits: Keeps his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobel-pitiable-half-creature-should-have-been-stifled-by/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [It is a wonderful and unexpected honor to receive the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Receiving this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/it-is-a-wonderful-and-unexpected-honor-to-receive-the-bank-of-sweden/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [“Thoughts thoughts. Are they not mine? I think, I write, I type. Thoughts. Are they wise? Let truth be told in words, compiled together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-stewart/thoughts-thoughts-are-they-not-mine-i-think-i-write-i-type-thoughts/) [Edna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-stewart/) > [Martin Buber suggested that evil prevailed because of the inability of man to imagine the real. Yet human beings do have that capacity. Lord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lown/martin-buber-suggested-that-evil-prevailed-because-of-the-inability/) [Bernard Lown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lown/) > [Alfred Nobel stipulated that no distinction of race or colour will determine who received of his generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdus-salam/alfred-nobel-stipulated-that-no-distinction-of-race-or-colour-will/) [Abdus Salam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdus-salam/) > [Alfred Nobel believed that social changes are brought about slowly, and sometimes by indirect means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/alfred-nobel-believed-that-social-changes-are-brought-about-slowly/) [Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/) ## More by Wole Soyinka > [Writers and intellectuals have a duty to humanity. It is to insist that the human entity remains the primary asset in overall development; thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/writers-and-intellectuals-have-a-duty-to-humanity-it-is-to-insist/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [When I tried to create a new political party, which I stressed that this is not my party. I believe very much that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/when-i-tried-to-create-a-new-political-party-which-i-stressed-that/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Each time I think I've created time for myself, along comes a throwback to disrupt my private space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/each-time-i-think-i-ve-created-time-for-myself-along-comes-a/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I began writing early - very, very early... I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-began-writing-early-very-very-early-i-was-already-writing-short/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/my-horizon-on-humanity-is-enlarged-by-reading-the-writers-of-poems/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Under a dictatorship, a nation ceases to exist. All that remains is a fiefdom, a planet of slaves regimented by aliens from outer-space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/under-a-dictatorship-a-nation-ceases-to-exist-all-that-remains-is-a/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [The phenomenon of creativity, we know, is closely related to the ability to yoke together separate, and even seemingly incompatible, matrices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-phenomenon-of-creativity-we-know-is-closely-related-to-the/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [One, a mass movement from within, which, as you know, is constantly being put down brutally but which, again, regroups and moves forward as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-a-mass-movement-from-within-which-as-you-know-is-constantly-being/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [One has to confront history honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-has-to-confront-history-honestly/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [We wasted a lot of creative energy in that immediate post colonial era, when there was a struggle between, you know, the Cold War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/we-wasted-a-lot-of-creative-energy-in-that-immediate-post-colonial/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-have-a-kind-of-magnetic-attraction-to-situations-of-violence/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [The Egba kingdom was one of the very last to be ceded to the British protectorate. It remained almost an independent entity within what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-egba-kingdom-was-one-of-the-very-last-to-be-ceded-to-the-british/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [One's own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-s-own-self-worth-is-tied-to-the-worth-of-the-community-to-which/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I was born into a Christian household, in a parsonage in fact, so I grew up in sort of a missionary atmosphere but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-was-born-into-a-christian-household-in-a-parsonage-in-fact-so-i/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [The problem with literature, with writing, is that it works sometimes in terms of correction of social ills. Other times, it just does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-problem-with-literature-with-writing-is-that-it-works-sometimes/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) [Explore all 225 Wole Soyinka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) ## More Creation quotes > [“am not suggesting that successes in academics, athletics, or vocation somehow stand outside God’s good plan. Learning and play are joys that God himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-paul-jones/am-not-suggesting-that-successes-in-academics-athletics-or-vocation/) [Timothy Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-paul-jones/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [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/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [I believe if there is a creator it will basically ask me two questions, how well did you enjoy my creation and what did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/i-believe-if-there-is-a-creator-it-will-basically-ask-me-two/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [With no other choices open to us, we'd turned our gaze seaward. The oceans were our America: they reached farther than any prairie, untamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carsten-jensen/with-no-other-choices-open-to-us-we-d-turned-our-gaze-seaward-the/) [Carsten Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carsten-jensen/) > [In the quiet moments of your day, what do you think and do? When you are with your Self and no one else, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/in-the-quiet-moments-of-your-day-what-do-you-think-and-do-when-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [To be part of the creation, I must act humbly. I'll take that over a goddess any day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-o-hara/to-be-part-of-the-creation-i-must-act-humbly-i-ll-take-that-over-a/) [Maureen O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-o-hara/) > [The country of Iraq is somewhat of an artificial creation going back to colonial days. And so you have the Kurds and then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clapper/the-country-of-iraq-is-somewhat-of-an-artificial-creation-going-back/) [James Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clapper/) [Browse all 5,225 Creation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of the Nobel Prize, as the humanist counter to the destructive power of his genius.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wole Soyinka" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-invention-dynamite-was-converted-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-invention-dynamite-was-converted-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/wole-soyinka-1587_creation_alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-inventio_2647261.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of…” — Wole Soyinka", "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": "Wole Soyinka", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-invention-dynamite-was-converted-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-invention-dynamite-was-converted-to/#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 } } ] } ```