Patience: Weakness, Strength, or Forgotten Moral Virtue?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines patience as ‘the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed.’ In this context, patience aligns with self-control: managing one’s thoughts, emotions, and, most crucially, reactions. It is an art of self-mastery, often manifested in simple actions: biting one’s tongue to avoid unnecessary harm in a conflict and to prevent escalating arguments, and choosing silence or indifference to avoid aggravating a situation.

This interpretation of patience relates to the secondary concept of suffering. A patient individual is one who calmly and composedly endures suffering, embodying a Stoic attitude, as Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (4 BC–65 AD) wrote:

He accepts success with gratitude and humility, and adversity with calmness and bravery.

Strength or Weakness?

Patience can undoubtedly be described as a specific state of the spirit, thoughts, and emotions. It is also an attitude we present towards experiences we encounter and challenges life presents to us. Moreover, it tests our character, personality, and temperament. To refine its meaning, one must grapple with the question: is patience a weakness or a strength? The answer is not as straightforward as it might initially seem. The number of humanists and their theories equals the number of positions on this issue.

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For German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), who fervently advocated for action, activism, and dynamism in our endeavors, patience signified a weakness of character. Humans must fulfill the will to power, thus a drive for action, destruction and construction; patient waiting is a waste of time, delaying everything. Similarly, another German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860), stated:

Patience… is therefore a passivity, the opposite of the spirit’s activity, which it hardly reconciles with when it is great. It is a natural quality of phlegmatics, similar to those spiritually inert and impoverished, as well as women.

Many other thinkers share a similar view of patience as a flaw, or at least a weakness in a person who is unable or afraid to make swift decisions and boldly decide on life’s offerings.

Objective and Fair?

However, is such an approach entirely objective and fair? There is another side to consider, which reveals patience as a virtue, a skill worthy of respect and recognition from others, bearing fruitful results precisely through enduring and waiting with calmness and balance. Proponents of this view argue that humans do not have control over everything.

Our scope for engagement, action, and the ability to effect change also has its limits. In their opinion, patience should not be associated with negative attitudes such as passivity or phlegmatism; rather, it aligns with composure and prudent time management, governed by its own rules. A patient person is one who can estimate well, understanding that desired outcomes require time to mature, and that not everything is immediately attainable. Ancient philosopher Epictetus wrote:

The greatest virtue in life is patience; it is half of wisdom.

Patience is a wisdom that understands that everything that is perfect matures slowly. Parents nurturing children, patiently observing their mistakes, understand that these errors and falls are necessary for development. Gardeners dedicating time and patience to their gardens wait for plants, vegetables, and fruits to ripen. Every athlete knows that the path to victory and continued success is built on patience and persistence, as no win comes overnight. It requires work, which in turn demands time. Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) stated:

Patient suffering in itself is the most precious lesson for this impatient world.

Thus highlighting the value of patience as a skill deserving acknowledgement and emulation.

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Is It Worth Being Patient?

How do these analyses relate to contemporary times, characterized by rapid progress, development, the race for victory, and the glorification of a philosophy of success? The prevalent phenomenon of consumerism hardly supports the virtue of patience, as everything is temporary, fleeting, and replaceable by the newest model. Why then wait and demonstrate patience and perseverance?

In the 21st century, people expect immediate results from their work, and success is seen as the metric for evaluating our actions and choices. However, might it be beneficial to occasionally pause and calmly consider whether everything must be instant? Perhaps treating patience as an exercise in character-building, something that teaches and perfects us, is a worthwhile endeavor. Furthermore, might it be worth believing that patience also leads to success? As the Greek proverb says, ‘patience is the key to happiness.’

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