Hillsdale College

Perseverance

Pursue what is good with unwavering persistence.

StoriesPoemsLives of Virtue

Perseverance is the moral virtue that enables one to persist in practicing good actions despite the challenges that result from a continuous effort. Through the habit of perseverance, reason governs the aversion to sustained suffering and discomfort, ensuring that one neither surrenders too quickly to weariness nor continues in a particular course of action beyond what is reasonable. Though all virtues are stable habits, they require the aid of perseverance to attain the perfection that results from a lifelong effort.

For Grades K-2:

The virtue of perseverance gives us the strength to keep doing good things even when we feel tired, worn out, or frustrated from trying. 

For Grades 3-6:

The virtue of perseverance gives us the strength to persist in practicing what is good despite the weariness that comes from sustained effort. Perseverance keeps us from giving in too quickly to fatigue, while also ensuring that we do not continue on in a particular course of action beyond what is reasonable. 

Related Virtues

Courage

Magnanimity
Steadfastness

Featured Stories

The Thanksgiving StoryAlice Dalgliesh
Grade K-2

Story

The Velveteen RabbitMargery Williams
Grade K-2

Story

The Little Hero of Holland The Children’s Book of VirtuesWilliam J. Bennett
Grade 1-2

Story

Charlotte’s WebE.B. White
Grade 2-3

Story

Farmer BoyLaura Ingalls Wilder
Grade 3-5

Story

Johnny TremainEsther Hoskins Forbes
Grade 4-6

Story

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Featured Biographies

Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for PresidentAnna Malaspina
Grade 2-4

Biography

Two FriendsDean Robbins
Grade K-3

Biography

Susan B. AnthonyAlexandra Wallner
Grade 2-6

Biography

Who Was Susan B. Anthony?Pam Pollack
Grade 3-6

Biography

Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's SuffrageClaire Rudolf Murphy
Grade 2-6

Biography

Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick DouglassSuzanne Slade
Grade 2-6

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More Biographies
Poems about Perseverance

Courage! What if the snows are deep, And what if the hills are long and steep

Courage
By Unknown Author
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Break, break, break, on thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

Break, Break, Break
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
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Behind him lay the gray Azores, Behind the Gates of Hercules...

Columbus
By Joaquin Miller
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And then I’d seemed to notice that her cup was being a little differently picked up.

Going Blind
By Rainer Maria Rilke
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How doth the little busy bee  Improve each shining hour...

How Doth the Little Busy Bee
By Isaac Watts
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If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If
By Rudyard Kipling
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Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

Invictus
By William Ernest Henley
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And when Peace here does house He comes with work to do...

Peace
By Gerard Manley Hopkins
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A violet by a mossy stone half hidden from the eye!

She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways
By William Wordsworth
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But I have promises to keep...

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost
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Lives of Virtue

Frederick DouglassFor his unflinching honesty in sharing his life experience, for his courage in escaping injustice, and for his relentless pursuit of justice, Frederick Douglass exemplifies moral virtue.  
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln exemplified virtue through his steadfast commitment to justice and the preservation of the Union, guiding the nation with moral clarity and courage during its darkest hours.
George Washington
George WashingtonThanks to his integrity, humility, courage, and wisdom, George Washington has long been known as one of the greatest leaders in American history.
Jane Addams
Jane AddamsJane Addams demonstrated kindness, generosity, and respect by founding Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago that provided essential services, education, and support to impoverished immigrants, fostering community and social reform.
More Lives of Virtue