10 Best Movies About Perseverance and Never Giving Up

Chris Gardner ends up homeless with his young son but perseveres through an unpaid internship at a brokerage firm by day while sleeping in shelters at night. His determination to build a better future despite humiliation and shame makes every small victory euphoric and reminds us that perseverance is sometimes the only capital you have.

Italian-American underdog boxer Rocky Balboa unexpectedly gets a shot at the world title. With raw training in a meat locker, dawn runs up the museum steps and an indestructible heart, he shows that winning is above all about fighting spirit. The reward isn't the title but proving he can 'go the distance'.

Steel-mill kid Rudy dreams of playing football for Notre Dame but lacks talent, money and even the grades. Through relentless studying, training and working as a groundskeeper, he eventually earns a place on the team and one unforgettable moment on the field. Pure feel-good fuel for ambition without shortcuts.

Wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne refuses to break mentally in Shawshank prison. He uses patience, library books and a tiny rock hammer to slowly carve a path to freedom, literally and mentally. An ode to hope that seeps into limestone until it cracks.

Climber Aron Ralston gets his arm trapped under a boulder in a remote Utah canyon. For five days he survives on sips of water and video diaries, until a shocking but liberating decision. Intense cinematic proof that willpower can push past physical limits.

After a shipwreck, young Pi drifts in a lifeboat with a hungry Bengal tiger. Through ingenuity, storytelling and unwavering faith in wonder, he survives storms, hunger and fear. A visually enchanting journey about mental resilience.

Olympic runner Louis Zamperini survives a plane crash, 47 days on a raft and then years of torture in Japanese prison camps. His refusal to grant his guards a moral victory testifies to an unbreakable human spirit.

'I'm going to have to science the s*** out of this.' When astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on Mars, he grows potatoes in his own waste, hacks a rover and turns despair into creativity. An ode to problem-solving perseverance and dark humor.

Waitress Maggie Fitzgerald convinces a bitter trainer, Frankie, to coach her. Between bandages, freezing gyms and merciless opponents she shows that age, background and gender are secondary to sheer will. The film also confronts you with what perseverance can really cost.

Single mother Erin uncovers contaminated drinking water in a small town and, without any legal training, takes on a giant utility company. Her street-smart charm, boxes of files and relentless effort win not only the case but dignity for hundreds of victims. Julia Roberts won an Oscar for the role.