perseveranza

Perseveranza is the quality of continuing steadily to pursue a goal despite obstacles, fatigue, or delays. It involves sustained effort over time and a willingness to endure hardship in order to achieve long-term aims. The term is the Italian form of perseverance and derives from Latin perseverantia, from perseverare, to persist or endure.

In psychology, perseverance is closely related to grit, self-regulation, and conscientiousness. It is commonly associated with long-term success in education, work, and skill development, though it often requires balancing persistence with strategic adaptation. Perceived persistence can help individuals maintain motivation, recover from setbacks, and persist with deliberate practice.

Culturally, perseverance is widely valued as a virtue and a driver of achievement. However, excessive persistence in an unviable goal can be harmful, a tendency linked to the sunk-cost effect or persevering in the face of mounting costs. Effective perseverance combines commitment with ongoing assessment and willingness to adjust plans when warranted.

Perseveranza also appears in modern usage as a proper noun. In Italian, the name of NASA's Mars rover Perseverance is rendered Perseveranza in translations, reflecting the same meaning of steadfastness. The rover, part of the Mars 2020 mission, landed in 2021 to study past habitability and to collect samples for future return missions.