And perseverance is what puts you over the goal line.

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That's the story of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents -- that determination, that perseverance, that sense of what is possible that has kept the American Dream alive and well in the Latino community.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama at Forum on American Latino Heritage

On almost any serious subject, what seems like principled perseverance to one person will seem like obstinacy to those who disagree, and vice versa.

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What he seems to value most is the virtue of perseverance.

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But what unites everyone is that in all of your families you have stories of perseverance that are uniquely American.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Annual Gala | The White House

And that the best changes you can make for yourself in the year ahead, whether in what you do each day or how you do it, are going to exact perseverance, courage and focused effort.

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