The Greatest Lesson

"(...)
Evidently asymptotic freedom, besides resolving the paradoxes that originally concerned us, provides a conceptual foundation for several major insights into Nature's fundamental workings, and a versatile instrument for further investigation.
The greatest lesson, however, is a moral and philosophical one. It is truly awesome to discover, by example, that we humans can come to comprehend Nature's deepest principles, even when they are hidden in remote and alien realms. Our minds were not created for this task, nor were appropriate tools ready at hand. Understanding was achieved through a vast international effort involving thousands of people working hard for decades, competingin the small but cooperating in the large, abiding by rules of openness andhonesty. Using these methods which do not come to us effortlessly, but require nurture and vigilance we can accomplish wonders.
(...)"

by Frank A. Wilczek
Nobel Lecture, December 8, 2004

Full text at
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2004/wilczek-lecture.pdf