> There is always a way to leave things better than how you found them.

I agree, and that's something I do even if I get push back. I think it's essential in all aspects of life, or things typically get worse. People have to care.

My point is more so that it often—in my experience, at least—is met with friction because a lot of people see this kind of housekeeping as bad for bottom lines, or in the weeds, as a distraction, or what have you. I've encountered friction and push back more than acceptance let alone appreciation, I think.

A very common (and sometimes fair) form of push back is along the lines of "let's keep this ticket ONLY to the bug fix/feature/whatever and avoid any unnecessary changes". This is generally good practice, but I'll personally allow unrelated changes if they're relatively simple chores to leave things better than they were found.

If I were to summarize my experience, it's that caring to make things better or as good as they should be typically requires my own time and energy outside of regular work hours. That's a hard sell, especially after 20 years or so. I still do my best to make things better and I've come to expect and meet that friction with the necessary energy to overcome it, but... I mean, it's not always easy or necessarily rewarding. Many of my jobs could have often been dramatically easier if I cared less, but I'm not sure anyone would have even minded that.