The sweetest and most inoffensive path of life leads through the avenues of science and learning; and whoever can either remove any obstruction in this way, or open up any new prospect, ought, so far, to be a benefactor to mankind.

— David Hume (1754, by Allan Ramsay; Public Domain)
Ultimately, we all need to take responsibility for our own advancement in life. Consider all of the people throughout human history who have had incredible odds stacked against them, yet they still picked up a math book, or a science book, and dedicated themselves to the mastery of a skill, thus becoming a benefactor to mankind.
—Mike Hazell