Grit

Praise for
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

“Profoundly important. For eons, we've been trapped inside the myth of innate talent. Angela Duckworth shines a bright light into a truer understanding of how we achieve. We owe her a great debt.”

—David Shenk, author of
The Genius in All of Us: New Insights into Genetics, Talent, and IQ

“Enlightening . . .
Grit
teaches that life's high peaks aren't necessarily conquered by the naturally nimble but, rather, by those willing to endure, wait out the storm, and try again.”

—Ed Viesturs, seven-time climber of Mount Everest and author of
No Shortcuts to the Top

“Masterful . . .
Grit
offers a truly sane perspective: that true success comes when we devote ourselves to endeavors that give us joy and purpose.”

—Arianna Huffington, author of
Thrive

“Readable, compelling, and totally persuasive. The ideas in this book have the potential to transform education, management, and the way its readers live. Angela Duckworth's
Grit
is a national treasure.”

—Lawrence H. Summers, former secretary of the treasury and President Emeritus at Harvard University

“Fascinating. Angela Duckworth pulls together decades of psychological research, inspiring success stories from business and sports, and her own unique personal experience and distills it all into a set of practical strategies to make yourself and your children more motivated, more passionate, and more persistent at work and at school.”

—Paul Tough, author of
How Children Succeed

“A thoughtful and engaging exploration of what predicts success.
Grit
takes on widespread misconceptions and predictors of what makes us strive harder and push further . . . Duckworth's own story, wound throughout her research, ends up demonstrating her theory best: passion and perseverance make up grit.”

—Tory Burch, chairman, CEO and designer of Tory Burch

“An important book . . . In these pages, the leading scholarly expert on the power of grit (what my mom called ‘stick-to-it-iveness') carries her message to a wider audience, using apt anecdotes and aphorisms to illustrate how we can usefully apply her insights to our own lives and those of our kids.”

—Robert D. Putnam, professor of public policy at Harvard University and author of
Bowling Alone
and
Our Kids

“Empowering . . . Angela Duckworth compels attention with her idea that regular individuals who exercise self-control and perseverance can reach as high as those who are naturally talented—that your mindset is as important as your mind.”

—Soledad O'Brien, chairman of Starfish Media Group and former coanchor of CNN's
American Morning

“Invaluable . . . In a world where access to knowledge is unprecedented, this book describes the key trait of those who will optimally take advantage of it.
Grit
will inspire everyone who reads it to stick to something hard that they have a passion for.”

—Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy

“I love an idea that challenges our conventional wisdom and
Grit
does just that! Put aside what you think you know about getting ahead and outlasting your competition, even if they are more talented. Getting smarter won't help you—sticking with it will!”

—Simon Sinek, author of
Start With Why
and
Leaders Eat Last

“Incredibly important . . . There is deeply embodied grit, which is born of love, purpose, truth to one's core under ferocious heat, and a relentless passion for what can only be revealed on the razor's edge; and there is the cool, patient, disciplined cultivation and study of resilience that can teach us all how to get there. Angela Duckworth's masterpiece straddles both worlds, offering a level of nuance that I haven't read before.”

—Josh Waitzkin, international chess master, Tai Chi Push Hands world champion, and author of
The Art of Learning

“A combination of rich science, compelling stories, crisp graceful prose, and appealingly personal examples . . . Without a doubt, this is the most transformative, eye-opening book I've read this year.”

—Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor, University of California, Riverside and author of
The How of Happiness

“This book gets into your head, which is where it belongs . . . For educators who want our kids to succeed, this is an indispensable read.”

—Joel Klein, former chancellor, New York City public schools

“
Grit
delivers! Angela Duckworth shares the stories, the science, and the positivity behind sustained success . . . A must-read.”

—Barbara Fredrickson, author of
Positivity
and
Love 2.0
and president of the International Positive Psychology Association

PREFACE

PART I: WHAT GRIT IS AND WHY IT MATTERS

CHAPTER 1: SHOWING UP

CHAPTER 2: DISTRACTED BY TALENT

CHAPTER 3: EFFORT COUNTS TWICE

CHAPTER 4: HOW GRITTY ARE YOU?

CHAPTER 5: GRIT GROWS

PART II: GROWING GRIT FROM THE INSIDE OUT

CHAPTER 6: INTEREST

CHAPTER 7: PRACTICE

CHAPTER 8: PURPOSE

CHAPTER 9: HOPE

PART III: GROWING GRIT FROM THE OUTSIDE IN

CHAPTER 10: PARENTING FOR GRIT

CHAPTER 11: THE PLAYING FIELDS OF GRIT

CHAPTER 12: A CULTURE OF GRIT

CHAPTER 13: CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

RECOMMENDED READING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NOTES

INDEX

For Jason

Growing up, I heard the word
genius
a lot.

It was always my dad who brought it up. He liked to say, apropos of nothing at all, “You know, you're no genius!” This pronouncement might come in the middle of dinner, during a commercial break for
The Love Boat
, or after he flopped down on the couch with the
Wall Street Journal
.

I don't remember how I responded. Maybe I pretended not to hear.

My dad's thoughts turned frequently to genius, talent, and who had more than whom. He was deeply concerned with how smart he was. He was deeply concerned with how smart his family was.

I wasn't the only problem. My dad didn't think my brother and sister were geniuses, either. By his yardstick, none of us measured up to Einstein. Apparently, this was a great disappointment. Dad worried that this intellectual handicap would limit what we'd eventually achieve in life.

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes called the “genius grant.” You don't apply for the MacArthur. You don't ask your friends or colleagues to nominate you. Instead, a secret committee that includes the top people in your field decides you're doing important and creative work.

When I received the unexpected call telling me the news, my first
reaction was one of gratitude and amazement. Then my thoughts turned to my dad and his offhand diagnoses of my intellectual potential. He wasn't wrong; I didn't win the MacArthur because I'm leagues smarter than my fellow psychologists. Instead, he had the right answer (“No, she's not”) to the wrong question (“Is she a genius?”).

There was about a month between the MacArthur call and its official announcement. Apart from my husband, I wasn't permitted to tell anyone. That gave me time to ponder the irony of the situation. A girl who is told repeatedly that she's no genius ends up winning an award for being one. The award goes to her because she has discovered that what we eventually accomplish may depend more on our passion and perseverance than on our innate talent. She has by then amassed degrees from some pretty tough schools, but in the third grade, she didn't test high enough for the gifted and talented program. Her parents are Chinese immigrants, but she didn't get lectured on the salvation of hard work. Against stereotype, she can't play a note of piano or violin.

The morning the MacArthur was announced, I walked over to my parents' apartment. My mom and dad had already heard the news, and so had several “aunties,” who were calling in rapid succession to offer congratulations. Finally, when the phone stopped ringing, my dad turned to me and said, “I'm proud of you.”

I had so much to say in response, but instead I just said, “Thanks, Dad.”

There was no sense rehashing the past. I knew that, in fact, he
was
proud of me.

Still, part of me wanted to travel back in time to when I was a young girl. I'd tell him what I know now.

I would say, “Dad, you say I'm no genius. I won't argue with that. You know plenty of people who are smarter than I am.” I can imagine his head nodding in sober agreement.

“But let me tell you something. I'm going to grow up to love my
work as much as you love yours. I won't just have a job; I'll have a calling. I'll challenge myself every day. When I get knocked down, I'll get back up. I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I'll strive to be the grittiest.”

And if he was still listening: “In the long run, Dad, grit may matter more than talent.”

All these years later, I have the scientific evidence to prove my point. What's more, I know that grit is mutable, not fixed, and I have insights from research about how to grow it.

This book summarizes everything I've learned about grit.

When I finished writing it, I went to visit my dad. Chapter by chapter, over the course of days, I read him every line. He's been battling Parkinson's disease for the last decade or so, and I'm not entirely sure how much he understood. Still, he seemed to be listening intently, and when I was done, he looked at me. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded once. And then he smiled.

Part I

Chapter 1