When we think about achievement, we often ask not only what someone has accomplished but also how they accomplished it. Did success come easily through natural talent and abundant resources, or was it the result of persistent effort in the face of constraints such as limited ability or social disadvantage? How do children reason about and evaluate achievement may have important consequences for how they respond to challenges and constraints. In this talk I will present recent work from our lab on children’s reasoning about achievement, focusing on how they understand the roles of talent, effort, and resources, and how these beliefs shape their persistence and willingness to take on challenges. I will also discuss evidence for cultural differences in these beliefs, and their implications for children’s motivation and development.