That is important, that is what prevents them from becoming depressed even in adverse circumstances. They perhaps also understand at an early stage what they must do to survive, for example, work hard. Belief in hard work was something that my parents taught us. My father used to say that work is the most important element in any person’s life.
That sounds very much like a German virtue. There are lots of people who work hard everywhere in the world. But possibly he might have been influenced by his knowledge of German culture. His German was almost as good as his Italian.