Einstein's secret to happiness revealed 95 years later
A note written by Albert Einstein in 1922 was auctioned in October 2017. The famous physicist summed up his philosophy of happiness.
"A quiet and modest life brings more joy than the pursuit of success that involves constant restlessness." No, this reflection on happiness does not emanate from Conficius, as one might think. It was written by Albert Einstein in 1922 on the stationery of a Tokyo hotel where he was staying. The scientist, who had just learned of his nomination for the Nobel Prize in Physics, was on a speaking tour of Japan.
Should this maxim be understood in this context of growing notoriety, as if it were a matter of the physique to protect oneself from the effects of celebrity? The truth is that Einstein reflected in a second note a reflection on the meaning of life, taken from Lenin: "Where there is a will, there is a way."
These two messages were delivered by the scientist to a Japanese messenger, who had just brought him a letter. Until then unknown to investigators, they were authenticated and auctioned in Jerusalem by Winner's.
Through these very personal reflections, it is a bit of the physicist's personality that we can better understand. Maxims that are also very modern and echo the personal development techniques, which triumphed at the beginning of the 21st century, 95 years later.