Which classic novel begins "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life..."?

This was another question that I tapped the right answer instinctively, without conscious thought. But I have not read this book. Sometimes, there is something in the back of the mind that says "I know this answer, leave it to me". Anyone else experiences this?

Is that where David Copperfield the magician got his name?

“Barkus is willin’”