"The groups that have awarded them are all a little different. It's a little hard to single out any one for that, but I think the dedication of this building would have to go toward the top of the list"
About this Quote
The intent is less gratitude than calibration. Kilby, a scientist whose inventions reshaped the modern world, is signaling that what matters isn’t just being celebrated by experts but being built into the landscape - literally. Awards are episodic; a building is a public claim. It says: this work isn’t merely clever, it’s foundational enough to anchor a community’s memory and a school’s aspirations. His careful hedging (“a little,” “hard to single out”) reads as social intelligence: he avoids insulting any awarding body while still confessing which honor feels weightier.
The subtext also reflects how scientific achievement is legitimated. Breakthroughs can be abstract, tucked inside silicon and systems, invisible until they become ubiquitous. A building dedication translates that invisibility into architecture: an embodied acknowledgment that innovation has consequences, payrolls, students, and futures attached to it. Kilby’s restrained phrasing is the point - a scientist’s style applied to public praise, measuring significance by durability rather than drama.
Quote Details
| Topic | Legacy & Remembrance |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Kilby, Jack. (2026, January 16). The groups that have awarded them are all a little different. It's a little hard to single out any one for that, but I think the dedication of this building would have to go toward the top of the list. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-groups-that-have-awarded-them-are-all-a-95257/
Chicago Style
Kilby, Jack. "The groups that have awarded them are all a little different. It's a little hard to single out any one for that, but I think the dedication of this building would have to go toward the top of the list." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-groups-that-have-awarded-them-are-all-a-95257/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The groups that have awarded them are all a little different. It's a little hard to single out any one for that, but I think the dedication of this building would have to go toward the top of the list." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-groups-that-have-awarded-them-are-all-a-95257/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
