Julia Child created the most influential cookbook in American history. In her book My Life in France, one of the messages she sends about the nature of goodness is that hard work, perseverance and integrity pay off. Julia displays it before, during and after the process of creating her cookbook. Before, in her cooking classes, Julia didn't shy away from any challenge, even when no one believed in her. Meanwhile, Julia worked harder than she had ever worked. And afterward, Julia and her co-authors Simone and Louisette never gave up, even when their cookbook was rejected by their publisher. She was the definition of an underdog, but she prevailed and came out on top. Without her perseverance, she would never have had one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time. During Julia's classes at Le Cordon Bleu, she faced many challenges where perseverance was the key. She didn't know how to cook, and she was sent to a year-long class full of ex-army soldiers who thought she wasn't good enough. Upon entering the class, “the GIs made him feel like he had invaded their boys’ club” (Child, 63 years old). Feeling left out is a feeling no one likes, and unlike most of the other students in her class, she had no plans for a culinary career after graduation. So it would have been very easy for her to leave that class and never have to feel that way again. Even the owner of the school, Madame Brassart, was against her. Julia believed that she “put it there as a form of hazing” (Child, 63). She clearly didn't like Julia, which was just another reason for her to quit. But she persisted and became the best chef in her class. From the beginning, Julia had many factors against her, but she did... middle of paper... uh on this kind of book” (Child, 230). This chance could have cost her a published cookbook, but she took it because she would rather not have a published cookbook than one she wasn't fully behind. And staying true to herself proved to be a wise choice as her cookbook was eventually published and she later had her own cooking show. In conclusion, Julia Child's experiences show how much can be done when people don't give up. Even though she was often excluded from her cooking classes, she didn't give up. Creating a French cookbook for Americans was no easy task either, but she didn't back down. Trying to publish their cookbook and having to turn down requests from their original publisher was definitely painful. But his thick skin, endurance and principles paid off when the first edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking finally hit the market..