Interview with John Nash: The Nobel Prize -- and the Future
The Nobel Prize opened up other types of recognition. I would get this honor or that honor. I would be elected to a membership in an honorary society; that sort of thing. And these would flow as direct consequences. So it was quite clear that nothing would have happened without the Nobel Prize. I had one recognition that came before the Nobel Prize. It sort of made it possible for that. Something called the Econometric Society. They have two levels of membership for that; their regular members and their fellows. You have to be elected to be a fellow. A regular member is someone who pays dues; maybe he's an economist or somebody with an interest in economics, and particularly maybe statistics and that sort of thing.
So I was proposed for that. And as soon as it was suggested, the nomination that I could be elected, then I was elected. And that brought my name to attention as someone who had some recognition, some professional status. So I think that was the thing that made it possible for me to get the Nobel Prize in economics, which occurred just maybe a year or two earlier; I forget when it occurred.
I don't know what the future holds exactly, even if it's not such a long future, for me. Of course, the future in general is presumably long, unless things really go bad or unless some miracle happens.

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