An auction earlier this week proved you can indeed buy happiness ... for $1.56 million. Well, sort of: Albert Einstein's theory of happiness sold for the hefty sum at auction Tuesday, NPR reports.
At the Tokyo Imperial Hotel in 1922, Einstein tipped a bellboy with two notes written on pieces of hotel stationery. On one note, Einstein described his theory of happiness: "A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness," he wrote in German. On a second note, Einstein wrote, "Where there's a will there's a way." Einstein signed and dated both notes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
America is leaving WHO. What does that mean for public health?Today's Big Question Trump orders the withdrawal
-
'Airlines are motivated to build some slack into their schedules'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Animals that are adapting to climate changeThe Explainer Some species have already altered their habits
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraudSpeed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
