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[golding76]

He wrote the advice at a momentous time in his life.  Were the words he wrote to a courier the upshot of reflection or a result of having no small change to hand over to the courier?

By the by, the word "stationery" is misspelled in this article.  It is spelled "stationary." An easy way to remember which spelling should be used for anything involving letter-writing or writing paraphernalia is this: The word "letter" has two "e's" in it, so use the "stationery" with the "e."

Einstein's theory of happiness revealed: Note physicist gave to a Japanese courier 95 years ago telling him 'a quiet and modest life brings joy' goes up for auction

• Two notes were given by Einstein to a courier in Tokyo in lieu of a tip in 1922
• The physicist wrote inspirational messages on the notes giving life tips
• The notes will go on sale in Jerusalem on Tuesday - 95 years later

By Joe Sheppard For Mailonline

PUBLISHED: 16:46 EDT, 22 October 2017 | UPDATED: 17:13 EDT, 22 October 2017

    

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A note Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo 95 years ago, briefly describing his theory on happy living, will go on sale this week.

The physicist gave the messages to a courier in lieu of a tip while on a lecture tour of Japan in 1922.   

At the time Einstein had recently been informed that he was to receive the Nobel Prize for physics, and his fame outside of scientific circles was growing.

A Japanese courier arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo to deliver Einstein a message. The courier either refused to accept a tip, in line with local practice, or Einstein had no small change available.

Either way, Einstein didn't want the messenger to leave empty-handed, so he wrote him two notes by hand in German, according to the seller, a relative of the messenger.

'Maybe if you're lucky those notes will become much more valuable than just a regular tip,' Einstein told the messenger, according to the seller, a resident of the German city of Hamburg who wished to remain anonymous.

One note, on the stationary of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, says that 'a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.'

The other, on a blank piece of paper, simply reads: 'where there's a will, there's a way.'

It is impossible to determine if the notes were a reflection of Einstein's own musings on his growing fame, said Roni Grosz, the archivist in charge of the world's largest Einstein collection, at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

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The note has surfaced 95 years later and is now up for auction

While the notes, previously unknown to researchers, hold no scientific value, they may shed light on the private thoughts of the great physicist whose name has become synonymous with genius, according to Grosz.

'What we're doing here is painting the portrait of Einstein - the man, the scientist, his effect on the world - through his writings,' said Grosz.

'This is a stone in the mosaic.'

The two notes will go on sale on Tuesday at the Winner's auction house in Jerusalem, alongside other items including two letters Einstein wrote in later years. 

[SeaMaiden]

@golding76  Thank-you for sharing! Very interesting!

[kyreb]

From the series "Genius" Einstein had a very sad family life - a bitter divorce and his children barely spoke to him --  very sad.

[AuntG]

Very good advice. I see so much constant unrest in people. I remember waiting for a television program to be aired, or letting a neighbor use the party line before making a call.  Now, people scramble to see and do things immediately - instant gratification.

[Oznell]

Fascinating, @golding76.  You unearth the most interesting nuggets of interest.

[ROMARY]

From someone, somewhere  (Einstein and Newton): 'What goes up must come down'.  The theory of relativity.  Including happiness.   The ups and downs of life. 

[golding76]

Oznell,

Thank you for your kind words, but I think of you as the one who introduces so many interesting topics and thoughts to the QVC crowd.  I especially love your movie recommendations and analyses.  All along I've thought of myself as someone who was familiar with most of the popular early films, but you have introduced me to many I have never heard of or seen.  I've ended up loving them, too.  Thank you!

Among these films have been Rope and The Secret Heart.   I'd never heard of them but now rank them among my favorites. 

[Noel7]

A couple of years ago, PBS ran a special about his wife. Einstein claimed most of her work in the same field was his work.  At that time, it was unacceptable for women to be in that field.

It could be said that he was helping her, but the bottom line is that he never gave her credit.  It is thought by many that she was more intelligent than he was.

[golding76]

Noel, that was his first wife, wasn't it?  I think she was also a cousin.  

What a terrible injustice.  I bet she is one of many wives who have contributed to the work of great men and received no credit.

[Noel7]

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@golding76 wrote:

Noel, that was his first wife, wasn't it?  I think she was also a cousin.  

What a terrible injustice.  I bet she is one of many wives who have contributed to the work of great men and received no credit.

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@golding76

You jogged my memory.  I’m pretty sure it was his first wife and I definitely remember she was his cousin!