The catch phrase for the day is 'Do an act of kindness. Help one

The words of Harvey Ball, creator of the world’s most enduring symbol of joy, ring with a simplicity that is deeper than gold: “The catch phrase for the day is ‘Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.’” At first, it seems but a gentle suggestion, a light motto for a passing day. Yet hidden within this small phrase is a timeless commandment: that each of us has the power to heal the world, not through grand deeds alone, but through the quiet, deliberate act of bringing forth a smile.

The meaning of this teaching rests upon the ancient truth that kindness is never wasted. A single act, small in appearance, can ripple outward across hearts, families, and generations. To help one person smile is not to perform a shallow gesture; it is to touch the divine spark within them, to remind them of hope, to give them courage to endure one more day. Ball, who gave the world the familiar yellow smiley face, understood that even the simplest image of happiness could transform moods and lighten burdens. His words, then, are not advice alone—they are an invocation of a way of life.

The ancients themselves spoke of this. In the teachings of the Stoics, a man was measured not by his power or his wealth, but by the good he could bring to others. Marcus Aurelius wrote that a single kind word or deed strengthens the very fabric of humanity. Similarly, the sages of the East taught that a smile given freely is a form of charity as sacred as the giving of bread. In all traditions, the call resounds: lift another soul, and you fulfill your own purpose.

History is filled with stories that illuminate this truth. Consider Mother Teresa, who often said that peace begins with a smile. She did not conquer armies nor legislate laws, yet her small acts of kindness, one by one, transformed despair into dignity for countless forgotten souls. She lived Harvey Ball’s wisdom in flesh and spirit: she helped one person smile, then another, until the world itself felt her light. The greatness of her work was not in numbers, but in constancy.

The origin of Ball’s words lies in his own creation of the smiley face, first drawn in 1963 as a symbol to lift spirits in a workplace clouded by tension. What began as a small design spread like fire, leaping across cultures and nations, until it became a universal emblem of joy. In this we see the proof of his teaching: one simple act, one image, one smile, multiplied endlessly, can brighten the lives of millions. What he asked of the world with his phrase was simply this—become a living smile in someone else’s day.

The lesson for us is clear: seek daily opportunities to create joy. This does not require riches, nor titles, nor fame. It may be a kind word, a patient ear, a gentle gesture, or the courage to give time where others give none. In practice, it means leaving behind the obsession with self, and instead asking each morning, “Whose burden can I lighten today? Whose face can I brighten?” If each of us made one person smile, then the chain of kindness would circle the world unbroken.

So let these words of Harvey Ball be remembered not as a slogan, but as a way of being: “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” Do it not for recognition, but because the world is starved for gentleness, and because you too are nourished by the joy you bring. For the greatest victories are not won on battlefields, but in the quiet triumph of lifting another heart. And when you help one person smile, you have already begun to heal the earth.

Thus, children of tomorrow, carry this teaching with you: make your days holy not by wealth or applause, but by the smiles you leave behind. Let kindness be your legacy, and let joy be the trail that follows you. For when one person smiles because of you, the world is already made brighter, and in that light, eternity itself is honored.