Einstein's ‘Theory On Happiness’ Note That He Once Gave As A Tip Just Sold For $1.56M

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In 1922, Albert Einstein traveled to Japan to receive the Noble Prize for physics. When the courier came to his room to make a delivery, he did not have any money to reward him.

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Einstein gave the note to a courier in Tokyo in 1922 instead of a tip. Einstein did not 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.

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Einstein explained to the messenger that “one day the handwritten note would be worth more than a tip.

One note says that "a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest."

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A second note was written at the same time simply reads: "Where there's a will, there's a way." It sold for $240,000, Winner's auction house said.

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A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo briefly describing his theory on happy living has sold at auction in Jerusalem for $1.56m (€1.33m ), according to auctioneers.

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The winning bid for the note far exceeded the pre-auction estimate of between $5,000 and $8,000, according to Winner’s auctions. The buyer was European, but wished to remain anonymous, a spokesman for the auction house told AFP.

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“I am really happy that there are people out there who are still interested in science and history and timeless deliveries in a world which are developing so fast,” the seller said on condition of anonymity after the sale.

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Einstein served as a non-resident governor of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. When he died in 1955, he left the institution his archives, making it the owner of the world’s most extensive collection of his documents.