Literary notes about Assiduity (AI summary)
The term "assiduity" in literature frequently conveys a sense of deliberate, persistent effort and careful attention to detail. In many works, it underscores a character's dedication, whether in the pursuit of knowledge, the execution of tasks, or the nurturing of relationships. It can describe both physical labor and intellectual endeavors, as seen when meticulous care is applied to practical work or scholarly study ([1], [2]). Authors also employ the word to highlight an admirable, almost heroic, quality of perseverance in overcoming obstacles, thereby enhancing character depth and realism ([3], [4]). In other contexts, it establishes a rhythmic quality in narrative, suggesting not only diligence but also an almost ritualistic commitment to duty or passion ([5], [6]). Thus, through its varied use—from the patient watchfulness of natural phenomena to the focused zeal in academic or artistic pursuits—the term enriches the text by encapsulating the multifaceted nature of sustained effort and devotion ([7], [8]).
- At length he took priest's orders, and performed the duties of his office with great assiduity and punctuality.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - He still was somewhat delicate in health, and (p. xv) kept a high position in his studies more from ability than assiduity.
— from Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 1 (of 10) by J. G. (John Gibson) Lockhart - Margarita had contrived to gain my interest by the assiduity of her attentions.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - All are acquainted with the Labour and Assiduity with which Tully acquired his Eloquence.
— from The Spectator, Volume 2. by Steele, Richard, Sir - ‘No, I don’t, sir,’ replied Mr. Weller, beginning to button with extraordinary assiduity.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - Saying which, the man in the white hat set to work upon a top-boot with increased assiduity.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - Astrology was the means whereby he lived, and he continued to practise it with great assiduity; but his heart was in alchymy.
— from Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay - I was at this time engaged in a variety of other matters, which required exertion and assiduity, and necessarily occupied almost all my time.
— from Boswell's Life of Johnson by James Boswell