Einstein's Theory of Happiness
By Eileen Brown
Printed in the AARP Bulletin for January/February 2018, in the 'Funny but True' section is a small piece about an auction held in Jerusalem in October 2017. It's interesting for several reasons, not the least of which is how much the auction earned for the owner.
 Albert Einstein's notes given to bellboy in 1922. | The formula itself is as close as any you may find to describe the much sought human existence path to actual happiness --- "A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness." The second note simply stated --- "Where there's a will, there's a way." Both notes were signed by Einstein with the year noted. |
It may not be the theory of relativity, but it's about as close to a formula for happiness that anyone has written.
Einstein was on a lecture tour in Japan in 1922.
At the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, a bellboy delivered a message to his room and he quickly searched for a tip, but came up empty. He jotted the notes, one on hotel stationary and the other on a plain piece of paper and gave them to the bellboy in lieu of a tip. He told the bellboy that some day they might be worth something, meaning his signature as he had recently received a Nobel Prize:
"The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 --- The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 was awarded to Albert Einstein "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". Albert Einstein received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1922."
In October 2017, a relative of the bellboy brought the notes to an auction house in Jerusalem. There, they told the relative the notes might be worth around $10,000. The joke was on the auction house.
The two notes brought in an astounding 1.5 million dollars at the auction. The lesser note went for $250,000.00 meaning the note on hotel stationary sold at a whopping $1,250,000.oo.
Yes, Einstein was right again, the notes were certainly worth something, "some day."
Einstein was on a lecture tour in Japan in 1922.
At the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, a bellboy delivered a message to his room and he quickly searched for a tip, but came up empty. He jotted the notes, one on hotel stationary and the other on a plain piece of paper and gave them to the bellboy in lieu of a tip. He told the bellboy that some day they might be worth something, meaning his signature as he had recently received a Nobel Prize:
"The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 --- The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 was awarded to Albert Einstein "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". Albert Einstein received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1922."
In October 2017, a relative of the bellboy brought the notes to an auction house in Jerusalem. There, they told the relative the notes might be worth around $10,000. The joke was on the auction house.
The two notes brought in an astounding 1.5 million dollars at the auction. The lesser note went for $250,000.00 meaning the note on hotel stationary sold at a whopping $1,250,000.oo.
Yes, Einstein was right again, the notes were certainly worth something, "some day."
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