Einstein’s Priceless Advice (2 Min Read) | Vol. 203

May 15, 2026

“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.” – Albert Einstein

Einstein’s Priceless Advice

In 1921, Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize. He didn’t go to Stockholm the next year to attend the award ceremony and receive the prize. He had a conflict. He had already agreed to do a lecture tour in Japan. Hmm. A prestigious award ceremony or an academic lecture?  Einstein skipped Stockholm and went to Japan. 

While staying at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, a bellboy arrived to drop off a package. Whether Einstein didn’t have cash or the bellboy wouldn’t accept a tip isn’t entirely clear. Either way, Einstein wanted to give him something. So he wrote a note about happiness and signed it. He added, “Hold on to this, it might be valuable someday.” 

The note read: A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.

That note turned out to be very valuable. The bellboy held on to it. He passed it on in his family. In 2017, it sold at auction in Jerusalem for $1.56 million.

I wonder if the bellboy took the advice, which would be infinitely more valuable than the auction price. Did he stash the note with other family keepsakes and return to his hectic life? Or did he make a different choice? 

Every day, we get to choose between busyness and intention. Busyness gets celebrated. Intention often goes unnoticed. Busyness does many things. Intention chooses what’s worth doing. Both have rewards, but they come at very different costs.

One question to ponder in your thinking time: Am I chasing success or happiness?

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Jay Papasan
Author I CEO I Coach