Einstein’s Note On “Happy Living” Sells For Top Dollar At Auction

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He is one of the greatest scientific minds of all time and it appears his popularity has only grown over the years. Albert Einstein was a man known for his contributions to the scientific community as well as his words of wisdom. Spend some time bouncing around the internet and you are bound to come across a quote from the famed scientist. And, as Einstein’s “Happy Living” note proves; people will pay top dollar to have a physical piece of his wisdom in their possession.

It Started As A Tip

The story behind the note is quite interesting and just goes to show you should hold on to any interesting piece you may come across. While staying in Tokyo, Einstein would give notes to his courier as tips. These notes were typically just small pieces of life advice that, at the time, may not have seemed very significant to some. However, the courier kept these notes and some of them have found their way to auction.

It Sold For How Much?!

How much would you pay for Einstein’s “Happy Living” note? It turns out that an anonymous buyer in Europe was so excited to own this small piece of history that they put forward a bid of $1.56 million. The pre-auction estimate suggested the note would sell for under $10,000. Quite a gap between the estimate and the final value. However, if you are an avid collector, owning this piece of history simply cannot be given a price or a dollar sign. Another note from Einstein that was written at the same time sold for a healthy $240,000 at auction. All this note said was, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” A pretty common saying that’s not unique or special but definitely holds a little more weight coming from one of the most accomplished scientific minds of all time.

What Did The $1.56M Note Say?

I know you have been itching to know what was written on this $1.56M note. Well, I won’t make you sweat it out any longer. Here’s what Einstein’s “Happy Living” note said (translated from German):

A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.

One sentence worth $1.56M. It’s actually quite profound when you consider the success and notoriety that Einstein gained in his lifetime. Perhaps he’s still imparting wisdom to the people of this world here in 2017. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go write some notes and stash them away as a retirement plan. Let me know if you want one.

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