“It’s the little things that count the most!”

This seemingly insignificant phrase became popular in the late 1800s and early1900s when it resounded “loudly” with a rapidly changing English-speaking world. The phrase became “the catch phrase” of the time and defined a newly developing cultural trend! Everyone repeated it like a mantra. Even authors employed it in their writing. What gave this little phrase such impact? The industrial revolution! Nineteenth-century focus on thriftiness due to the rise of the middle class during these years created a new and urgent emphasis on small but significant things, occasional but meaningful gifts, good manners, and the kinds of small habits and kindnesses (rather than wealth) that defined one’s character. Living a disciplined lifestyle and maintaining …