These words all describe more or less uncompromising or fixed states of mind. The differences between them reveal that obstinacy in itself can be adjudged wither good or bad, depending on the motive behind it and the uses to which it is put.

Wilful means bent on having one’s own way, and therefore careless or indifferent of other people’s feelings or wishes. It has critical if not damning implications, but is somewhat mitigated by its common association with children: a wilful child, she insisted on wearing yellow socks with her maroon frock. When applied to adults it may be considered a sign of immaturity or unreasonable conceit: a wilful decision, taken without regard to the well-being of the community. Strong-willed , on the other hand, is usually taken to be complimentary, especially if the person indicated is a man: a strong-willed leader of men. It is also used to imply criticism less strong than wilful, perhaps mixed with a certain degree of admiration.

• Robert is a very strong-willed person; once he has made up his mind, he won’t change it.

Firm is decidedly favourable in tone. It means fixed and unshakable, and often implies deep commitment to a moral principle: a firm resolve to spend two hours each evening at study; a firm commitment to civil liberties. Firm is commonly used, also, as a euphemism for obstinate, because it substitutes the motive of high moral dedication for wilfulness or self-seeking; indeed, whether one calls someone firm or stigmatizes him with a less attractive adjective depends upon whether one happens to share his convictions. Politicians are famous for being firm (believers in democracy, supporters of the party, upholders of free enterprise, etc.). Tenacious , meaning tending to hold strongly, as opinions, nights etc., is also much favoured by men and women in the public eye: a tenacious defender of local-government rights. Tenacious has the implication of hanging on, refusing to let go no matter what the odds against eventual victory. This can be interpreted as blind stubbornness or as fierce devotion to right principle. Nevertheless, the word always conveys some respect; a tenacious adversary, for instance, may be disliked but he is certainly not to be taken lightly.

Hard-headed , no-nonsense and tough all describe practical, businesslike or ruthless attitudes. All are on the whole favourable in tone, since all suggest that the people so characterized are doers, people who care primarily about results rather than about the means by which they are achieved ?a attitude evidently highly valued by many Australians and New Zealanders. Hard-headed means having a shrewd and practical mind; a hard-headed businessman is not given to sentiment or to much thought about human feelings, although he is not necessarily unkind or inhuman. He simply regards such considerations as unimportant or boring, in any case not worth thinking about. No-nonsense means without time-consuming formalities or the rigmarole of polite intercourse, and indicates a straight, blunt, even gruff approach, with the aim of getting things done quickly and efficiently even at the price of wounding someone’s feelings or offending protocol. Though in its primary sense means capable of sustaining great tension or strain without breaking. If one thinks of emotional rather than physical tension or strain, one has an excellent definition of its common colloquial use applied to people who are deemed shrewd and canny, not easily fooled or worn down by argument: a tough negotiator; a tough competitor. Tough and no-nonsense often appear together in informal or self-consciously modern writing: a tough , no-nonsense strongman of the Middle East; A tough , no-nonsense "take-charge" type was needed to head the campaign against road fatalities.