1915年， 36歲的愛因斯坦生活在飽受戰火摧殘的柏林， 他已分居的妻子米列娃和他的兩個兒子， 漢斯·艾爾伯特·愛因斯坦和愛德華·“泰特”·愛因斯坦則生活在相對安全的維也納。 那年的11月4日， 愛因斯坦剛剛完成了兩頁可以將他送入世界名人行列和榮譽史冊的傑作-他的廣義相對論， 愛因斯坦給11歲的兒子漢斯·艾爾伯特·愛因斯坦寫了這封信。 在信中， 愛因斯坦和兒子談到了關於學習的問題， 讓我們一起來看看愛因斯坦這位頭頂傑出物理學家、和平的支持者、科學與靈性的辯手、慈善鬥士等諸多光環的偉人會在兒子的學習方面給出什麼建議呢。
中文參考：
我親愛的艾爾伯特，
昨天收到你可愛的來信， 非常高興。 我曾經非常害怕你再也不會給我寫信了。 當我在蘇黎世的時候， 你告訴我我來到蘇黎世讓你很尷尬。 因此我在想如果我們待在另一個沒有人打擾我們的地方可能會好些。
我很高興你在鋼琴上找到了樂趣。 在我看來， 鋼琴和木工製作是你這個年齡最好的追求， 甚至強于上學。 因為這是非常適合像你這樣的年輕人的。 主要是在鋼琴上彈奏曲子會使你很快樂， 即使彈奏的不是老師佈置的曲目。 當你非常沉醉於做一件事， 以至於你都感覺不到時間流逝，
吻你和泰特的爸爸
向媽媽問好
此信英文原文轉錄如下：
My dear Albert,
Yesterday I received your dear letter and was very happy with it. I was already afraid you wouldn’t write to me at all any more. You told me when I was in Zurich, that it is awkward for you when I come to Zurich. Therefore I think it is better if we get together in a different place, where nobody will interfere with our comfort. I will in any case urge that each year we spend a whole month together, so that you see that you have a father who is fond of you and who loves you. You can also learn many good and beautiful things from me, something another cannot as easily offer you. What I have achieved through such a lot of strenuous work shall not only be there for strangers but especially for my own boys. These days I have completed one of the most beautiful works of my life, when you are bigger, I will tell you about it.
I am very pleased that you find joy with the piano. This and carpentry are in my opinion for your age the best pursuits, better even than school. Because those are things which fit a young person such as you very well. Mainly play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not assign those. That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes. I am sometimes so wrapped up in my work that I forget about the noon meal. . . .
Be with Tete kissed by your
Papa.
Regards to Mama.