“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway
My favourite movie portrayal of Hemingway is in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris
One of the key themes of Marc Halévy’s work is the idea that the purpose of Life, indeed the purpose of the Universe, is “l’accomplissement” – the notion that everything that exists, every organism which exists, every person who exists, is trying to accomplish its, or their, full potential.
There is a direction to evolution, and its the same direction we see in every single life. The continuous striving to flourish, to be the best, the most, the greatest they can be. From a crystal, to a plant, to a bird, to every unique human being…..”true nobility is being superior to your former self”
Heroes Not Zombies 
And could we also say, “true nobility is being true to your higher self?”