#WordsIDidntKnow – Gaman (‘endurance’)

One attribute highly prized in Japanese society is that of “gaman”, or “endurance”. Gaman is the quality of enduring what seems unbearable with dignity and grace. The idea basically that is that if there’s something unpleasant around you, it’s better to tough it out in an act of self-sacrifice rather than act immediately to change it. It’s similar to Calvin’s Dad’s belief in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes that Misery Builds Character.

This is from [warning!!] TV Tropes.