leave the world better than you found it
LEEV the WERLD BET-er than yoo FOWND it
liːv ðə wɜːrld ˈbɛtər ðæn juː faʊnd ɪtListen
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Dictionary meaning
a moral injunction to improve the conditions of life for others and for future generations through one's actions, rather than merely consuming and extracting from the world as one finds it; the phrase encapsulates the ethic of stewardship — the responsibility of each generation to pass on to the next a world in at least as good a condition as it received; in environmental contexts it directly challenges the pattern of ecological degradation and resource depletion that characterises industrial modernity; it is used in education, philanthropy, and public service to inspire a long-term, others-centred orientation that values legacy over immediate self-interest
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