A BETTER WORLD | FRANCIS HODGSON BURNETT

“But only be good, dear, only be brave, only be kind and true always, and then you will never hurt anyone, so long as you live, and you may help many, and the big world may be better because my little child was born. And that is best of all, Ceddie, — it is better than everything else, that the world should be a little better because a man has lived — even ever so little better, dearest”

“The world should be better because a man has lived" is one of my favorite lines from literature. There is humility in this line, as well as a desire to not only help people but also to leave a positive legacy for those who come after. In Little Lord Fauntleroy, Dearest (the boy's mother) tells Cedric that she hopes he will grow to be a man who takes the lessons of humility to heart.  

What a different world this would be if everyone viewed waking up in the morning as a blessing and pursued great deeds not for personal gain, but for the betterment of everyone.