Persistence means continuing to work toward a goal even when it's difficult, frustrating, or taking longer than you hoped. When you show persistence, you don't give up just because something is hard.

A scientist working on a cure for a disease might face years of failed experiments before finally making a breakthrough. That's persistence. A student struggling with long division who keeps practicing, even after getting problems wrong, is showing persistence. Thomas Edison famously tried thousands of materials before finding one that worked as a light bulb filament. When asked about his many failures, he said he hadn't failed, he'd just found thousands of ways that didn't work.

The opposite of persistence is giving up at the first sign of trouble. Someone lacking persistence might quit learning piano after a few difficult lessons or abandon a challenging puzzle because it doesn't come together quickly.

Persistence doesn't mean stubbornly doing the same thing over and over when it's clearly not working. Smart persistence means staying committed to your goal while being willing to try different approaches. If your first strategy for making friends at a new school doesn't work, persistence means continuing to be friendly and open while also trying new ways to connect with classmates.