JUST WHAT IS GUMPTION?

Hope this writer has enough GUMPTION to be able to explain it's meaning! (LOL)
A much-loved college professor of Economics used to intrigue me by saying something like this: "It doesn't matter how smart or how educated a person one is, if he doesn't have GUMPTION." I will never forget his saying that, and the seriousness with which he said it.

That was not the first time I had ever heard it, either. As a boy I heard it from time to time, and there was something a little archaic-sounding in it perhaps like the old colloquial expressions, so favored by rural Americans: "much obliged," "right smart of," "fair to middling'," "he comes from a sorry family," etc. At any rate, the word has always fascinated me, and has seemed a little bit mentally elusive.

The origin of the word is somewhat cloudy; it was first known to be used in 1719. On doing a little research, I find that it is quite a fascinating word to many people and there are many sources to explore.  At the end of one lengthy research page was the question:   "What made you want to look up 'gumption?' Please tell us where you read it or heard it." Makes one wonder if there is a "GUMPTION CLUB" out there somewhere!

Anyway, here are a number of different sources and definitions. (It seems that a lot of these are what the people perceive the word to mean. There may be duplications.)
1. Bold of enterprise
2. Guts, spunk
3. Common sense/horse sense
4. Sound practical judgment; Eg. "I can't see the sense of doing it now." "He hasn't got the sense God gave little green apples." "Fortunately, she had the sense to run away,"
5. Capacity, shrewdness, and common sense.
6. The quality of being sensible and brave enough to do the right thing in a difficult situation.
(AHA! Now I see it! Our problem in the USA is that our congress people and other leaders
lack GUMPTION!!)
7. Courage. Eg. "It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that!"
8. Synonyms given are: Common sense, levelheadedness, prudence, sense, sensibleness, wisdom, initiative, and resourcefulness.
9. I thought I saw: "an artist mixing paints." We won't go there today.

Stop and think for a moment: If you wanted to talk to someone about a matter about which you desired a wise opinion, there might be one or more people you would be comfortable talking to
and would value their input. Very likely, if you think about it, they would be persons with.......GUMPTION.

On reading this, and remembering my early impressions of the word, my own definition is:
common sense, wisdom, insight, and perceptiveness.

One merciful thing: I suspect that if you don't have it, you don't know it.
By Mil, 11-16-11

Sent from my iPad