The Foundations of Achievement
Merit, perseverance, and resilience form the enduring engine of human advancement.
Posted January 3, 2026 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley
Throughout human history, individuals and societies have advanced when they upheld rigorous standards that develop and advance merit, competence, effort, skill, and capability. The construction of monuments, architectural knowledge, the development of engineering systems, and the advances in scientific knowledge all required precise alignment with universal laws of mathematics, geometry, and physics (Haklay & Gopher, 2020; Trigger, 1990).
For example, in the case of the Egyptian pyramids, irrespective of whether an individual was a pharaoh or a pauper, a one‑ton stone block weighed one ton, and the geometric and mechanical principles required to quarry, shape, transport, and position that stone were the same for all individuals (Edwards, 2003). Human achievement has always depended on accepting and applying the universal laws of physics, mathematics, and merit (Klemm & Klemm, 2001; Ulanowicz, 1999).
The Universal Laws of Physics and Mathematics
In aviation, aircraft are built and fly only when universal mathematical and engineering standards, aerodynamic principles, and the laws of physics are applied, rather than social machinations (Kumar et al., 2025; Wu et al., 2018).
Research also informs that the unity of universal knowledge reflects the fact that problem-solving dealing with physical realities that involve the laws of physics, gravity, energy, and the universality of mathematics requires objective adherence to these laws.
These universal truths form the shared foundation upon which a great deal of rigorous and robust merit-based inquiry is advanced. Two plus two equals four in all cultures. Wigner (1960) states that mathematics “forms the basis of our understanding of the physical world.”
Tegmark (2008) writes that “[t]he idea that our universe...goes back at least to the Pythagoreans.… [And] Galileo Galilei stated that the Universe is a grand book written in the language of mathematics.”
The same is true regarding quantifiable achievements in the sciences and medicine. Surgical procedures, for example, succeed or fail based on universal anatomical, biological, and physiological knowledge, along with applied universal technical precision and skill-based meritorious expert performance (Abbot et al., 2023; Ericsson, 2004; Reznick & MacRae, 2006).
Meritocratic Systems Advance Potential
Research dealing with meritocratic evaluation aligns with applied universal foundations. Meritocratic systems (those that evaluate individuals based solely on performance and evidence) tend to produce accurate, valid, robust, and reliable results, and associated quantifiable new ideas that advance individual and social potential (Andre, 2021; Goya‑Tocchetto et al., 2024; Son Hing et al., 2011).
Son Hing et al. (2011) amplify this further by noting that “prescriptive meritocracy reflects the belief that rewards should be allocated based on merit, defined in terms of ability and effort.” Research also demonstrates that when standards remain robust, rigorous, and merit-based, individuals and institutions are quantifiably able to identify excellence, cultivate expertise, and allocate tasks to those most capable of fulfilling merit-based positions.
However, when standards are diluted or lowered, self-evidently and logically, evaluative accuracy declines. Universal academic standards, skills, and knowledge progress when applied quantifiable evidence-based meritocratic criteria exist (Andre, 2021; Son Hing et al., 2011).
The Historical, Scientific, and Empirical Evidence
Research and historical, scientific, and empirical evidence converge on a single conclusion: Merit is the human capacity required to meet all universal laws through the application of skills, knowledge, meritorious competence, and the actions of perseverance and resilience . Merit is not a social construct. As history and research also inform, objective merit-based standards of excellence reflect these universal laws, and individuals and societies then flourish.
Consequently, research continually confirms that the application of merit-based principles, perseverance, and resilience systems reliably enhances individual, institutional, and social developmental outcomes (Kolvani & Nistotskaya, 2025; Nistotskaya & Cingolani, 2016; Oliveira et al., 2023).
Perseverance and Resilience as Amplifiers of Merit
Archaeological and anthropological research that examines enduring human achievements (such as monumental architecture, complex engineering systems, and large-scale coordinated construction), self-evidently, requires not only intellectual and technical competence (which is about evidence-based merit) but also unrelenting disciplined application, and prolonged individual and collective engagement of perseverance and resilience (Solis et al., 2001).
Large-scale monumental projects such as the pyramids of ancient Egypt, the earthen constructions of late Neolithic Liangzhu City in China, and the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum required the coordination of large, task-specific, highly skilled work groups, directed by high-level intellectual and technical planning that involved highly sophisticated mathematical and engineering capacities to achieve their exacting constructions (Martinón-Torres et al., 2014; Trigger, 1990; Zhuang et al., 2024).
A Combination of Synergistic Possibilities
Human progress across all disciplines has depended on the synergistic combination of cognitive and intellectual abilities, associated physical skills and knowledge, and the intrinsic qualities of perseverance and resilience. Research also suggests that perseverance and resilience may have predictive potential for long-term achievement; however, there is no guarantee that this potential will be realised until the task or goal has been achieved (Duckworth et al., 2007; Lee & Park, 2024; Purje, 2014).
Research also informs that perseverance, resilience, and meritocratic striving operate as interdependent, dynamic processes. These three qualities do not function in isolation; they interact to support adaptive functioning, sustained effort, and the advancement of individual and social potential across other disciplines (Bonanno, 2004; Duckworth et al., 2007; Masten, 2001; Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004).
Merit. Perseverance. Resilience.
In terms of understanding, merit refers to the standard of elite‑focused performance and advanced competence required for any given merit‑determined task or role. When the demands of a task are fixed by intellectual, physical, procedural, or structural realities, the threshold for successful performance is universal. This means that merit is not culturally or socially relative or subject to personal opinion (Ericsson et al., 2018).
Aligned with this, as noted, perseverance and resilience operate with the same universality. In terms of application, perseverance involves disciplined, relentless, and sustained effort toward all goals. It is the mental and behavioural capacity to persist and endure until the task is completed that advances potential (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007).
As for resilience, it is about the intrinsic capacity to adapt, recover, and continue functioning holistically and effectively in the face of adversity. As such, perseverance, resilience, and self-applied adherence to meeting the requirements for merit-based outcomes require unrelenting physical, mental, emotional, and self‑determined effort, along with the capacity for self‑regulation (Duckworth et al., 2007; Masten, 2001; Southwick et al., 2014).
As Bandura (1997) observes, self‑regulation involves the ability to “exercise...influence over one’s own motivation , thought processes, emotional states and patterns of behaviour,” a foundational capacity underlying all sustained human agency.
Ultimately, Choices Have Consequences
When merit, perseverance, and resilience operate together, they contribute to sustained goal pursuit, adaptive functioning, and the development of individual and collective capacities. Research indicates that perseverance supports long-term achievement, while resilience enables individuals and groups to adapt and recover under adversity, allowing progress to continue even in challenging conditions (Duckworth et al., 2007; Masten, 2001; Southwick et al., 2014).
In the final analysis, as Immanuel Kant argued, moral action requires choosing maxims that could be willed as universal laws, underscoring the enduring ethical significance of choice (Kant, 1785/1996). Ultimately, choices have consequences (Purje, 2014).
Abbot, D., Bikfalvi, A., Bleske-Rechek, A. L., Bodmer, W., Boghossian, P., Carvalho, C. M., … & West, J. D. (2023). In defense of merit in science. Journal of Controversial Ideas, 3 (1).
Andre, P. (2021). Shallow meritocracy: An experiment on fairness views (No. 115). ECONtribute Discussion Paper.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self‑efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2007). Self‐Regulation, ego depletion, and motivation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1( 1), 115-128.
Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist , 59 (1), 20-28.
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92 (6), 1087–1101.
Edwards, J. F. (2003). Building the great pyramid: Probable construction methods employed at Giza. Technology and Culture, 44( 2), 340-354.
Ericsson, K. A. (2004). Deliberate practice and the acquisition and maintenance of expert performance in medicine and related domains. Academic Medicine, 79 (10), S70–S81.
Ericsson, K. A., Hoffman, R. R., Kozbelt, A., & Williams, A. M. (2018). The Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.