---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people think the Nobel Prize makes…"
description: "\"Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof. I never had that illusion.\" — Wole Soyinka"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg"
---

#  Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof…

![“Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof. I never had that illusion.” quote by Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg)

> “Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof. I never had that illusion.”

[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.

The speaker rejects the myth that winning a Nobel Prize grants immunity from criticism or failure, emphasizing humility and the reality of continued vulnerability.

**In simple terms:** Nobel fame does not make one immune to criticism.

Key Takeaway

Stay humble after accolades.

Themes

fame criticism humility achievement

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career
- public speaking
- media appearances
- personal growth

Key Concepts

celebrity vulnerability public scrutiny

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities come with high honors?
- How can one maintain perspective after major success?

A Different Perspective

Even laureates face doubt and scrutiny.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bullet Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullet-proof-1472885/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Proof Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof-illusion-4217137/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Some people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some-people/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-nobel-1797337/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/)

## Related quotes

> [I think the Nobel Prize helps for a number of reasons. Number one, if I can be frank, there is these people will feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-h-zewail/i-think-the-nobel-prize-helps-for-a-number-of-reasons-number-one-if-i/)

[Ahmed H. Zewail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-h-zewail/)

> [I think what the Nobel committee is doing is going beyond war and looking at what humanity can do to prevent war. Sustainable management…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-think-what-the-nobel-committee-is-doing-is-going-beyond-war-and/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [I think I should get the Nobel Peace Prize before I die for ending the war between the sexes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-dodson/i-think-i-should-get-the-nobel-peace-prize-before-i-die-for-ending/)

[Betty Dodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-dodson/)

> [The greatest of characters, no doubt, would be he, who, free of all trifling accidental helps, could see objects through one grand immutable medium,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/the-greatest-of-characters-no-doubt-would-be-he-who-free-of-all/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of the Nobel Prize, as the humanist counter to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/alfred-nobel-regretted-that-his-invention-dynamite-was-converted-to/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [ On another front of the category-error argument are the insufferable fogeys who think the \[Nobel\] award is an outrage upon literature itself. That the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/on-another-front-of-the-category-error-argument-are-the-insufferable/)

[David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/)

> [I do not think the Nobel institution gives you a certificate that everything you say is always right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piyush-goyal/i-do-not-think-the-nobel-institution-gives-you-a-certificate-that/)

[Piyush Goyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piyush-goyal/)

> [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 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 Had quotes

> [Hats off to starting a franchise younger than we all did in 'Twilight' and keeping your cool. The 'Harry Potter' men and women had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/hats-off-to-starting-a-franchise-younger-than-we-all-did-in-twilight/)

[Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/)

> [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/)

[An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/)

[Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/)

> [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/)

[Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/)

> [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/)

[Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/)

> [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/)

[Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/)

> [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/)

[Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/)

> [My mom and dad had the relationship that I want, and they were teammates. They were always equal 50/50.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/my-mom-and-dad-had-the-relationship-that-i-want-and-they-were/)

[Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/)

> [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [We got orders to strike the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. We had a task force with the Enterprise. We had two or three cruisers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-ross/we-got-orders-to-strike-the-marshall-and-gilbert-islands-we-had-a/)

[Barney Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-ross/)

> [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/)

[Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/)

[Browse all 11,989 Had quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof. I never had that illusion.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wole Soyinka"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes-you-bullet-proof-i-never-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Had"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes-you-bullet-proof-i-never-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/wole-soyinka-1587_had_some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes_1292692.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof. I never had that illusion.” — 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": "Some people think the Nobel Prize...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes-you-bullet-proof-i-never-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/some-people-think-the-nobel-prize-makes-you-bullet-proof-i-never-had/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
