Scientist Marie Curie is a legendary figure.
She and her husband won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, and again in 1911 in Chemistry.
Her eldest daughter and son-in-law won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935.
She herself won the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize as Director-General of the United Nations Children's Fund.
During her tenure as director of the Radium Institute in Paris, the institute produced four Nobel Prize winners.
But for such an extraordinary and outstanding person, she lived an extremely simple life.
First, social interaction is minimalist.
She once wrote in the article:
"In the past fifty years, I have been committed to scientific research, and research is the exploration of truth. I have many beautiful and happy memories .
When I was a girl, I lived alone in my studies at the University of Paris. During that entire period, my husband and I sat in a simple room with concentration and concentration, as if in a dream. We studied in the study room, and later we discovered radium there.
In my life, I always pursue a quiet work and a simple family life. In order to realize this ideal, I try my best to maintain a quiet environment. In order to avoid interference from personnel and the exaggeration of fame."
On weekdays, the Curies stayed in the laboratory to realize their work and rarely talked with their friends.
Even if she occasionally had to talk to a few scientists, Marie Curie would save time by mending clothes for her daughter while chatting.
Even in order to better devote themselves to research, their home always lacks sofas and chairs. This not only rejects visits from others, but also reduces the time spent cleaning.
Second, material simplicity.
She discovered radium, but did not apply for a patent, nor did she provide any material compensation to those who used this method. She voluntarily gave up a large sum of income from her invention. Instead, they live on the meager income of the couple.
Even on the day their eldest daughter was born, she wrote in her account: "Champagne, three francs. Telegram, one franc and ten centimes. Doctor and nurse: seventy-one francs and fifty centimes." "
That month, she spent four hundred and thirty francs and forty centimes per month. In fact, this was a very small amount, but she felt that it was overspending, and she even drew it under the monthly expenses. Two lines of emphasis are drawn.
I wonder if you have discovered that the better a person is, the more achievements he will make in his career and the simpler his life will be.
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Because they devote almost all their body, mind, time and energy to the cause they love.
At the same time, they continue to create more value, not for external fame and fortune, but because they sincerely want to make some contribution to this society, the country, and even the entire world. .
When a person's situation becomes larger and larger, her vision becomes wider and wider, and her realm becomes higher and higher, her focus of care and attention will be sublimated from personal hedonism to the greater self. Go in.
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In 1845, the American writer Thoreau lived in seclusion on the shores of Walden Pond, two miles away from Concord, for two years, two months and two days, farming and living on his own. And a world famous book "Walden" was written on this theme.
In his view, property is more often a burden. He said:
"I see young people, my fellow villagers, whose misfortune is to inherit farms, Houses, barns, cattle, and farm tools are easy to come by but hard to get rid of."
They are too busy "working roughly to pick the finer fruits of life."
For him, more important than making endless money to live a prosperous life is to spend more time to enrich his spiritual life.
He once listed the necessities of life, but they were just a few tools, a knife, an axe, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, etc., which were enough.
Or for those who are studious, a lamp, stationery, and a few books are considered necessities, and they can be obtained at a small price.
When it comes to wearing clothes, he believes that it doesn’t matter whether the style of clothes is novel or not, or what other people think of it.
"The layer of clothing we wear outside, which is usually thin and fancy, is our epidermis or fake skin, which has nothing to do with our lives."
When it comes to eating, he Basically adhere to a vegetarian diet, do not eat meat, do not smoke, and do not drink alcohol.
Of course, a farmer once told him that he cannot just eat vegetarian food because vegetables cannot provide people with the nutrients needed for bone growth.
But he believed that the farmer's domesticated cow only fed on grass, which did not affect its ability to do heavy work at all.
In terms of housing, he is opposed to spending most of his life earning money to buy a house.
Because in his opinion, spending the best time of his life on buying a house is really not worth the gain.
He said: "After a farmer owns his own house, he does not become richer because of it, but becomes poorer because the house takes possession of him."
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Of course, it is difficult for most ordinary people to be a pure naturalist like Thoreau.
But the point he wants to express is not that you have to be vegetarian, don’t wear nice clothes, and don’t take out a loan to buy a house.
But I am telling you that you don’t have to forget the essence of food just to satisfy your hunger.
There is no need to please others and forget the need for clothing, which is to keep warm.
There is no need to forget about the existence of a house for the sake of a bungalow. It is just for us to have a place to stay.
Many times, because of our increasingly inflated desires, we ignore that there are not many things that people really need.
Once you chase too much, you will not only easily lose your way, but also make your life miserable.
Many people even give up on their own spiritual growth because of excessive pursuit of external comfort, ease and luxury, and use fame and fortune to bind their souls.
Just as the philosopher Schopenhauer once said, the lower a person's external material requirements, the higher his internal requirements.
At a certain level, wise people live more frugally than ordinary people.
Because a luxurious life does not mean much to them, and it is not likely to hinder them from devoting themselves to their careers.
And if you focus more on the splendor of external life, you will naturally not be able to maintain a clear heart and experience the simplest beauty of life.
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Mr. Yang Jiang is a famous Chinese writer, translator and foreign literature researcher. She and her husband, Mr. Qian Zhongshu, were once a couple in the literary world, and they also left many good stories.
But despite having written many books, she is still an extremely low-key, simple and reclusive person in life.
When Qian Zhongshu was alive, the three of them, plus their daughter Qian Yuan, often occupied a place at home, and then sat quietly, reading and writing.
They seldom socialize and do not want others to visit their homes.
Friends who know them well would not have the heart to disturb them from concentrating on their studies unless necessary, and they are even afraid of delaying their study time.
Mr. Pan Zhaoping, who once worked at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was a close friend of Yang Jiang and Qian Zhongshu. They were friends who talked about almost everything.
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When the reporter asked him about Mr. Yang’s life after Mr. Qian’s death, how did he live?
He said:
"Mr. Yang was still mainly desk-bound in her later years, but she paid great attention to health and exercise. She walked back and forth in the open space at home, insisting on walking several times a day. Thousands of steps.
In fact, her home is very cramped, so I suggested that she go downstairs for a walk to feel grounded. Later, Mr. Yang said that she listened to me and went for a walk downstairs.
After walking a few steps, you will meet an old neighbor, and after walking a few steps, you will meet an old friend, and everyone will chat for a long time. She said, this is not a walk, this is going downstairs to hold a press conference.
Mr. Yang doesn't sleep well and gets up very late in the morning. I try to go as late as possible to find her. Sometimes she asks me to have dinner with her.
There is a dazzling array of dishes on the table, including two or three layers of steamed fish segments, a bowl of stir-fried vegetarian dishes with sliced ??meat, a steamed egg custard, and some appetizing cold dishes, but the portions are all very small. ”
Yang Jiang can be said to be a real person who lives and learns. Even after losing her husband and daughter, she lived alone.
Also Still unwilling to meet any reporters or do any interviews, he stayed at home alone, reading and writing almost never for a day.
Even at the age of 92, he continued to write every day. Memories and records of their family over the past 63 years were finally written into the famous collection of essays "We Three"
She neither lives in her past achievements nor is she tempted by fame and fortune. , because she knows that the world belongs to her and has nothing to do with others.
Therefore, from young to old, she still maintains her original intention to live a simple life and pursue spiritual enrichment. At the same time, she clearly knows what kind of life she should live.
She does not need external flowers and applause, nor does she even need eternal fame. Even when she is seriously ill and enters the hospital, she still remains calm. Mentality.
No one needs to visit her, and no one needs to cry and feel sorry for her. Before she died, she did not leave any property, but left all her life's learning and gains to the next generation.
She came quietly, and finally left quietly. She understood the essence of life and was not afraid of death.
Finally, after getting rid of all the noise and glitz, she walked quietly. In daily life, I find myself, return to myself, and finally forget myself.
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In fact, a person's simplicity is not reflected in his external purity of mind, but also in his lack of desire. The important thing is that he maintains an open-mindedness, openness and clarity in his heart.
Of course, many people mistakenly believe that having a simple life must mean that the person has a noble spirit. .
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In fact, a truly outstanding person becomes pure from the inside out because he first has higher pursuits, ideals and ambitions in his heart. Simplicity and simplicity.
Because simplicity allows you to save more time, energy and energy to concentrate on one thing.
Because simplicity allows you to understand. The ultimate meaning of life does not lie in squandering and enjoying, but in creating.
Moreover, simplicity makes you understand that a person's life is not about striving for fame and wealth, but to strive for as much as possible. The value of self.
Many times, we cannot be simple, not just because we are not adapted to the seemingly monotonous, boring, or even lonely simple life.
There are too many impatiences, too many desires, too many things that cannot be taken up and let go.
The better a person is, the simpler his life will be.