REJECTION, a thousand times rejection. Why persist?

I read an article recently about famous books that were rejected dozens of times and went on to become best sellers or classics simply because that one publisher believed in the manuscript. Some ended up self publishing and found their way to film adaptations, some held on grimly to the hope of publication and submitted until it damn well got acceptance. In my time as a writer I have published through big name companies such as Cambridge University Press, small Australian press such as Wombat Books and self published through Amazon. So far my most lucrative and popular book was self published through an intermediary, Moshpit. It can often take years to write and polish a book, with heart and soul in every line. Which is why we try so hard not to take it personally when our work is rejected, not just once, but over and over. But it's difficult! Persistence can't run on an empty tank. At some point we need to refill our confidence to keep trying and retain our belief in the pro