Note On Happiness

The following story illustrates two things. First, time can increase the value of a possession, and sometimes we own a treasure and don’t realize it. In 1922 while Albert Einstein was staying at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, a courier came to the door to make a delivery. The courier either refused a tip or Einstein had no small change, but Einstein wanted to give the messenger something nonetheless. So on a piece of hotel stationery, Einstein wrote in German his theory of happiness: “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.” On a second sheet, he wrote another message: “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” He told the bellhop to save the notes — they just might be valuable in the future. And indeed they were. In an auction this week the note on happiness sold to an anonymous bidder for $1.56 million. The second note brought in $240,000. —-From The Two-Way

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