Diligence—carefulness and persistent effort or work—is listed as one of the seven capital virtues. It can be indicative of a work ethic, the belief that work is good in itself. : "There is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in work. Were he never so benighted, forgetful of his high calling, there is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works: in idleness alone there is perpetual despair." —

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

In students

Bernard ''et al.'' define diligence in students as the effort they put toward balanced and holistic development in mental, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions. They find that it correlates with

academic performance Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's deg ...

, especially with younger students, and that the support of parents and educators encourages students to be diligent. Other factors that encourage student diligence include

motivation Motivation is an mental state, internal state that propels individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior. It is often understood as a force that explains why people or animals initiate, continue, or terminate a certain behavior at a particul ...

discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...

concentration In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', '' molar concentration'', '' number concentration'', ...

, responsibility, and devotedness.

In Buddhism

The last words of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

were, "Strive on with diligence." Diligence is an integral part of all

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

teaching, and is considered the fourth of the . In

Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

tradition, diligence is the third and the first said to lead to liberation, and it is said that its practice brings an increase of qualities.

In Christianity

In Christianity, diligence is required to fulfill Christs command to make disciples. Matthew 28:19,20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things. Diligence and effort are required to be true Christians as is confirmed by the Apostle James @ James 2:14,17 Verse 14 Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but he does not have works? That faith cannot save him, can it? Verse 17 So, too, faith by itself, without works, is dead. And James 2:26 Indeed, just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. In other words, diligence, when combined with faith, assures spiritual success, as is brought out in the Bible book of Hebrews chapter six: verse 11 - But we desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end, 12 so that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

In Islam

In Hinduism

According to Brian Hatcher, the precepts of Hinduism require a person to discover and live a ''dharmic'' life, in which they live with right intention with diligence, and with concern for the well-being of others. The Hindus celebrate

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

, a festival of lights, where Goddess Lakshmi (also called Goddess Sri) is worshipped, who symbolizes thorough preparation, organization, diligence, and honesty. Hindus consider these characteristics essential for success and Shubh Labh (ethical profit).

Due diligence

''Due diligence'' is the amount of diligence required to avoid

negligence Negligence ( Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate care expected to be exercised in similar circumstances. Within the scope of tort law, negligence pertains to harm caused by the violation of a duty of care through a neg ...

in professional activities. It commonly arises in major acquisitions where the legal principle of ("let the buyer beware") requires the purchaser to make diligent inquiries about the property or service being sold.

References

External links

{{Subject bar, portal1=Buddhism, portal2=Christianity, portal3=Philosophy, portal4=Religion, commons=Diligence (virtue), q=y, wikt=y, d=y Seven virtues Virtue