“The Finns have something they call sisu,” the New York Times reported in 1940. “It is a compound of bravado and bravery, of ferocity and tenacity, of the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit, and to fight with the will to win. The Finns translate ‘sisu’ as ‘the Finnish spirit,’ but it is a much more gutful word than that.”
“Sisu is extraordinary determination, courage and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity.
An action mindset which enables individuals to see beyond their present limitations and into what might be. Taking action against the odds and reaching beyond observed capacities.
An integral element of Finnish culture, and also a universal capacity for which the potential exists within all individuals.” — Emilia Lahti, ”Above and Beyond Perseverance: An Exploration of Sisu”
