I used the Nobel money to buy a house and for the education of my

Hear, O seekers of wisdom, the humble words of Wolfgang Ketterle, Nobel laureate of physics, who declared: “I used the Nobel money to buy a house and for the education of my children.” These words, though simple in form, carry a weight greater than gold. For here is a man who, having received one of the highest honors the world can bestow, did not squander his reward on vanity or indulgence, but rooted it in the eternal pillars of life: shelter for the family and knowledge for the next generation.

What is a house, if not the fortress of stability, the sanctuary where love may flourish, and the soil in which character takes root? And what is education, if not the seed of the future, the flame passed from one generation to the next? Ketterle’s choice reveals the heart of a true sage: he knew that honors fade, prizes are fleeting, but a strong home and the learning of children endure beyond the span of a single life.

This truth has echoed through the centuries. Consider Alfred Nobel himself, whose invention of dynamite brought both creation and destruction. Troubled by the legacy he might leave, he used his wealth to establish the Nobel Prizes, turning personal fortune into a beacon for humanity’s advancement. Like Ketterle, Nobel recognized that the highest use of wealth is not self-indulgence, but the nurturing of knowledge, the encouragement of science, and the shaping of future generations.

History also recalls Andrew Carnegie, who, after amassing great fortune, devoted his wealth to building libraries across the world. He, too, understood that treasure laid in vaults decays, but treasure invested in education multiplies endlessly. In every library he built, he planted seeds of wisdom that grew in countless minds. Ketterle’s act belongs to this same tradition: the wise use of honor and wealth to strengthen the family and invest in the growth of children.

Yet the meaning of Ketterle’s words is not only about wealth, but about priorities. He reminds us that no prize, however great, is greater than the duty of a parent to provide. He could have spent his Nobel riches on fame, on travel, on luxury—but he chose instead to anchor his family and to lift his children with the power of education. This is the mark of one who knows that true greatness is not in medals, but in legacy; not in recognition, but in responsibility.

Beware, then, the temptation of fleeting glory. For what profit is there in public honor if the private life is neglected? How many have won prizes, only to lose their families? How many have gained wealth, only to waste it in folly? Ketterle shows us the better path: to take what is given by fortune and to turn it toward love, stability, and the future. In this way, he teaches that even the greatest prize finds its highest purpose in service to others.

Therefore, O children of tomorrow, take this lesson: whatever wealth or honor you may gain in life, direct it first to the well-being of those entrusted to you, and to the education that prepares the young to rise beyond you. Build your house strong, not only of stone, but of love. Invest in learning, for it is the one inheritance that can never be stolen. And remember that true greatness is not found in the prize you win, but in the wisdom with which you use it.

The final word is this: as Ketterle has spoken, so must we live. Houses shelter the body, education shelters the future. Let your victories, whether great or small, be turned toward these eternal goods, and you shall leave behind a legacy not of fleeting glory, but of lasting strength and light.