What may be a surprise to some, Albert Einstein, a man known for his scientific and mathematical genius, also had a quite valuable literary notion. Two notes simply written in 1922 recently sold for a combined $1.8 million this past Tuesday.
Both notes were taken during his travel "from Europe to Japan for a lecture series for which he was paid...by his Japanese publisher and hosts." Rightly so, news of his travel abroad caused quite a stir and brought many to see him speak. "Impressed but also embarrassed by the publicity, Einstein tried to write down his thoughts and feelings from his secluded room at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. A messenger [then] arrived with a delivery. [Rather than exchanging change], Einstein wrote two short notes and handed them to the messenger [saying,] 'If you are lucky, the notes themselves will someday be worth more than some spare change'."
Einstein was right: "A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant relentlessness" and "When there's a will, there's a way" brought, indeed, much more than spare change.