Diligence—carefulness and persistent effort or work—is one of the seven heavenly virtues. It is indicative of a

work ethic Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination o ...

, the belief that work is good in itself.

In students

Bernard et al. suggest that diligence in students is defined as the effort they put towards 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, discipline,

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 tradition, he was born in L ...

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

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

teaching, and considered the fourth of the ''

pāramitā ''Pāramitā'' (Sanskrit, Pali: पारमिता) or ''pāramī'' (Pāli: पारमी), is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated wit ...

''. In

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

tradition, diligence is the third ''pāramitā'' 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 the effort to do one's part while keeping faith and reliance in God. In other words, diligence and faith are two sides of a mystery. One does not know how, despite one's effort, it all works out; but diligence, when combined with faith, assures spiritual success. Diligence as one of seven virtues describes thoroughness, completeness, and persistence of an action, particularly in matters of faith.

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, 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 and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...

in professional activities. It commonly arises in major

acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

where the legal principle of caveat emptor ("let the buyer beware") requires the purchaser to make diligent inquiries about the property or service being sold.

References

External links

* * {{emotion-footer Virtue Seven virtues