A note from Einstein on the secret to happiness is going to be sold at auction

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AFP

Sunday, October 22, 2017 12:42

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Sunday, October 22, 2017 12:42

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Jerusalem | Two notes that Albert Einstein had given to a messenger in Tokyo, including one on the secret of a happy life, have resurfaced 95 years later and will soon be sold at auction in Jerusalem.

In 1922, the German physicist, famous for his theory on relativity, had done a tour in Japan, where he gave lectures.

At the time, Einstein had been informed of his upcoming nomination for the Nobel prize in physics, and its reputation started to grow beyond the scientific community.

The scene takes place at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, said today the seller of the precious note: a courier japanese arrives to deliver a letter to the physicist. No one knows if he refuses a tip, in agreement with local practices, or if Einstein does not have a currency, but the physicist, not to let him go with empty hands, gives him two notes in German.

“Maybe if you’re lucky, these notes will have much more value than a simple tip”, said Einstein, according to the seller, a relative of the courier japanese who resides to this day in the German city of Hamburg.

On one of the notes, written on paper, struck with the logo of the Imperial Hotel, is written: “a quiet life and modest brings more joy in the pursuit of success, which implies a permanent state of unrest”.

On the second, affixed to a sheet of white paper, one finds the famous adage, borrowed from Lenin: “where there’s a will there’s a way”.

Previously unheard-of researchers, these notes have been authenticated by the auction house Winner s. They do not have scientific value, but could help to better identify the personal reflections of Einstein, whose name has become synonymous with genius, writes Roni Grosz, in charge of the largest collection of archives of the physicist, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“What we are doing here is a portrait of Einstein, the man, the scientist, his impact on the world, through his writings,” continued Mr. Grosz, after that “this is a stone (more) for the mosaic”.

The two notes will be sold on Tuesday, at home Winner’s of Jerusalem, with other items including two letters written by Einstein at the end of his life.