[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[November 27, 2001]
[Pages 1448-1449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Honoring the United States Nobel Laureates
November 27, 2001

    Ambassador, thank you very much. 
Welcome. Dr. Marburger, thanks for putting this on. We're so honored 
that so many great Americans have shown up today. Laura and I are 
thrilled to not only greet you but host a reception after this brief 
dialog.
    I want to welcome all the Nobel laureates, past and present. I want 
to thank Members of the Congress for being here. I want to thank members 
of my Cabinet for coming. And I am grateful that family and friends have 
joined such a distinguished crowd.
    As the Ambassador said, for a century now 
the Nobel Prize has recognized human striving and accomplishment. Since 
1901 more than 700 Nobel Prizes have been awarded, and a third of those 
to Americans.
    Standing 
with me are 
seven of 
those who 
have been selected this year. Among their achievements are pathbreaking 
discoveries in physics, helpful insights in the workings of the market 
economies, and a new treatment for Parkinson's disease. And all of 
America congratulates them.
    Each Nobel laureate here today belongs to a incredibly select group 
of people. It includes the names of Martin Luther King, Jr.; George C. 
Marshall; T.S. Eliot; Albert Einstein; Vice President Charles Dawes; and 
President Theodore Roosevelt, the first

[[Page 1449]]

American Nobel laureate, whose Peace Prize today occupies a place of 
honor in the West Wing of the White House.
    Tomorrow I'll meet with the newest recipient of that prize, 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Several other Nobel 
laureates have visited the White House this year: Nelson 
Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Shimon Peres.
    These folks come from different regions of the world, but the Nobel 
Foundation is never limited by region or culture. The standard is a 
universal one. It is awarded to men and women who have served the 
highest aspirations of humanity and have done so with success. Many 
awards recognize excellence; the Nobel Foundation recognizes greatness.
    So much of human progress depends on achievements in medicine, 
physics, chemistry, economics, literature, and peace. The annual 
selection of the laureates expresses a profound optimism about humanity 
and our prospects for improvement. This optimism was captured by William 
Faulkner, when accepting his Nobel Prize a half century ago. ``I 
believe,'' he said, ``that man will not merely endure; he will prevail. 
He is immortal, not because he alone amongst creatures has an 
inexhaustible voice but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of 
compassion, sacrifice, and endurance.''
    Each of you, in your own field of excellence, has carried forward 
that same belief in human progress. You've achieved greatness through 
service to others. You have been given great gifts, and you've used them 
to your fullest.
    Our Nation is proud of the work each of you have done. We're proud 
to count you as fellow citizens. We thank you for bringing credit to our 
country and great benefit to mankind.
    And now, Laura and I would like to invite you all into the foyer for 
a reception.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 1:20 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Swedish Ambassador to the U.S. Jan 
Eliasson; John H. Marburger III, Director, Office of Science and 
Technology Policy; 2001 Nobel laureates Eric A. Cornell, Wolfgang 
Ketterle, and Carl E. Wieman (Physics), William S. Knowles (Chemistry), 
Leland H. Hartwell (Physiology or Medicine), George A. Akerlof, A. 
Michael Spence, and Joseph E. Stiglitz (Economic Sciences), and United 
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan (Peace); former President Nelson 
Mandela of South Africa, 1993 Nobel Peace laureate; and Foreign Minister 
Shimon Peres of Israel, 1994 Nobel Peace laureate. The Office of the 
Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.