
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Buy new:
-50% $15.01$15.01
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Save with Used - Acceptable
$8.27$8.27
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Jenson Books Inc

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
-
-
5 VIDEOS
-
Follow the author
OK
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Hardcover – May 3, 2016
Purchase options and add-ons
Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius,” Duckworth, now a celebrated researcher and professor, describes her early eye-opening stints in teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience, which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not “genius” but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance.
In Grit, she takes readers into the field to visit cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, teachers working in some of the toughest schools, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers—from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll.
Among Grit’s most valuable insights:
*Why any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal
*How grit can be learned, regardless of I.Q. or circumstances
*How lifelong interest is triggered
*How much of optimal practice is suffering and how much ecstasy
*Which is better for your child—a warm embrace or high standards
*The magic of the Hard Thing Rule
Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that—not talent or luck—makes all the difference.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherScribner
- Publication dateMay 3, 2016
- Dimensions6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101501111108
- ISBN-13978-1501111105
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed
- Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them.Highlighted by 12,767 Kindle readers
- It was this combination of passion and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit.Highlighted by 12,085 Kindle readers
- Many of us, it seems, quit what we start far too early and far too often. Even more than the effort a gritty person puts in on a single day, what matters is that they wake up the next day, and the next, ready to get on that treadmill and keep going.Highlighted by 8,766 Kindle readers
Editorial Reviews
Review
One of "The Hottest Spring Nonfiction Books"
—The Wall Street Journal
A "Leadership Book to Watch for in 2016"
—The Washington Post
A "Must-Read Business Book for 2016"
—Forbes
One of "The Year's Best Life Hacks"
—Glamour
"Angela Duckworth [is] the psychologist who has made 'grit' the reigning buzzword in education-policy circles...Duckworth's ideas about the cultivation of tenacity have clearly changed some lives for the better...In this book, Duckworth, whose TED talk has been viewed more than eight million times, brings her lessons to the reading public."
—Judith Shulevitz, The New York Times Book Review
"It really isn't talent but practice—along with passion—that makes perfect, explains psychologist Duckworth in this illuminating book. Inspiration for non-geniuses everywhere."
—People
“Psychologists have spent decades searching for the secret of success, but Angela Duckworth is the one who found it. In this smart and lively book, she not only tells us what it is, but also how to get it.”
—Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness
“Grit is a persuasive and fascinating response to the cult of IQ fundamentalism. Duckworth reminds us that it is character and perseverance that set the successful apart.”
—Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers
“Impressively fresh and original…Grit scrubs away preconceptions about how far our potential can take us.”
—Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
“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
"If you have recently bumped into that word, grit, Duckworth is the reason...In education and parenting circles, her research has provided a much needed antipode to hovering, by which children are systematically deprived of the opportunity to experience setbacks, much less overcome them...What sticks with you [in Grit] are the testimonials, collected from sources as disparate as Will Smith, William James, and Jeff Bezos's mom, that relentlessly deflate the myth of the natural."
—The Atlantic
"Grit is a useful guide for parents or teachers looking for confirmation that passion and persistence matter, and for inspiring models of how to cultivate these important qualities."
—The Washington Post
“This book will change your life. Fascinating, rigorous, and practical, Grit is destined to be a classic in the literature of success.”
—Dan Heath, co-author of Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive
“Utterly captivating, inspiring and original…Once you pick up Grit, you won't be able to tear yourself away.”
—Amy Cuddy, Harvard Business School professor and author of Presence
“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
“I kept wanting to read this book aloud—to my child, my husband, to everyone I care about. There are no shortcuts to greatness, it's true. But there is a roadmap, and you are holding it.”
—Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way
“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
“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
“I’m convinced there are no more important qualities in striving for excellence than those that create true grit...I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.”
—Brad Stevens, Coach of the Boston Celtics
“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 MediaGroup and former co-anchor of CNN’s “American Morning”
"Engaging...With strong appeal for readers of Daniel H. Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, and Susan Cain, this is a must-have."
—Booklist
“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
“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
“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 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
“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
"An informative and inspiring contribution to the literature of success."
—Publishers Weekly
“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
“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 and author of Bowling Alone and Our Kids
“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
"[Blends] anecdote and science, statistic and yarn...Not your grandpa's self-help book, but Duckworth's text is oddly encouraging, exhorting us to do better by trying harder, and a pleasure to read."
—Kirkus Reviews
“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
"A fascinating tour of the psychological research on success...A great service of Ms. Duckworth's book is her down-to-earth definition of passion. To be gritty, an individual doesn't need to have an obsessive infatuation with a goal. Rather, he needs to show 'consistency over time.' The grittiest people have developed long-term goals and are constantly working toward them."
—The Wall Street Journal
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Scribner
- Publication date : May 3, 2016
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501111108
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501111105
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #9,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Popular Psychology Personality Study
- #13 in Popular Applied Psychology
- #274 in Success Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
Videos
Videos for this product
2:37
Click to play video
The Power of Passion and PerseverancePublisher Video
Videos for this product
0:41
Click to play video
Grit: The Power of Passion and PerseveranceAmazon Videos
About the author

Dr Angela Duckworth is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an expert in non-IQ competencies, including grit and self-control. A highly sought-after international speaker, her TED talk on grit has been viewed by over 10 million people.
Duckworth’s hypothesis that the real guarantor of success may not be inborn talent but a special blend of resilience and single-mindedness grew out of her upbringing: as a child her scientist father lovingly bemoaned the fact his daughter was ‘no genius’. Duckworth was determined to prove him wrong and spent her youth smashing through every academic barrier. As an adult she became focused on proving her theory and to find out if grit can be learned or cultivated. It was out of this that she created her own Character Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-written with a down-to-earth style that combines personal anecdotes, and they appreciate how it highlights the impact of passion and perseverance. The concept receives positive feedback for its practical introduction to grit, and customers value the stories about successful people. The book's pacing and story quality receive mixed reactions - while some find it engaging with many interesting stories, others find it boring and repetitive.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as wonderful and a must-read for everyone, with one customer mentioning it's a pleasure to re-read every year.
"...Dancer Martha Graham says “Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful...." Read more
"...Amanda Duckworth has written an excellent book. “GRIT” shows us the power of grit, its importance to reaching our potential, and how to grow it...." Read more
"the best book i read last year, duckworth's GRIT inspired me, i think about grit all the time and toughing through the tough times, from explaining..." Read more
"...I had already read elsewhere -- but I still found both to be worthwhile reads. Part 2 looks at how we can grow grit “from within.”..." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, highlighting the impact of passion and perseverance, and consider it one of the best motivation books.
"This book actually made me see myself in a new, encouraging, positive light...." Read more
"...Inspiring stories about people from many different backgrounds, including West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee finalists, the women’s soccer..." Read more
"...It is a book for those who relish solid research and well-reasoned conclusions. It is highly motivational, in a mature and thoughtful way...." Read more
"...First, they were unusually resilient and hard-working. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted...." Read more
Customers praise the book's writing style, noting it is well-written, easy to understand, and combines personal anecdotes with a down-to-earth approach.
"...Nonetheless, it covers a fair range of ground in a readable and well-organized package, so is worth the price for a one-stop review or a first-read..." Read more
"...Thank you Dr. Duckworth for being a terrific writer, teacher, and example of this profound concept and having an impact far in excess of what I..." Read more
"...to laypeople, Angela Duckworth succeeds brilliantly with this well-written and engaging book...." Read more
"...She explains ways with clear and concise examples throughout the book that crosses different fields of study from her expertise in Psychology,..." Read more
Customers are fascinated with the concept of grit and find the book excellent for understanding it, appreciating how it provides practical application and helps in nurturing it in others. One customer notes that grit is more important than talent in achieving success.
"...these stories of gritty people doing gritty things, you’ll learn how grit is formed, how it grows, and how you can develop more grit in your own..." Read more
"...This book explores the importance of grit, how to identify it, how gritty are you, how to grow it, how to create a culture of grit, and how to..." Read more
"One of my all time favorites. GRIT is a powerful quality and can be developed...." Read more
"the best book i read last year, duckworth's GRIT inspired me, i think about grit all the time and toughing through the tough times, from explaining..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's approach to talent, as it uses stories of successful people to illustrate how passion and perseverance lead to success, rather than relying solely on natural ability.
"...Natural talent as the explanation of success, according to sociologist, Professor Dan Chambliss, “is perhaps the most pervasive lay explanation we..." Read more
"...the persistence to engage in deep practice, one can develop extraordinary levels of talent...." Read more
"...Duckworth also acknowledges the role of talent, which she includes in her formula for achievement (yes, there is such a thing in the book!) —..." Read more
"...leadership that may be imperative to raising kids and leading a very productive team of people...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's focus on resilience, noting that success is about stamina and never giving up, with one customer highlighting how failure can be used to get stronger each time.
"...First, they were unusually resilient and hard-working. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted...." Read more
"...In "Grit," Dr. Duckworth emphasizes the importance of persistence, perseverance, and passion in determining success in life...." Read more
"...has two parts: passion (sticking to what is important to you) plus perseverance (the ability to get back up once you have fallen)...." Read more
"...list of the concepts and legends that you will meet: flow, hope, resiliency, fixed vs. growth mindset, learned optimism, Sisu, talent (overrated),..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the stories in the book, with some finding them interesting and excellent for demonstrating concepts, while others find them not relatable and too repetitive.
"...She shares many examples and case studies, including the experiences of West Point cadets, and NFL players for the Seattle Seahawks under the..." Read more
"...The most interesting chapter to me was on parenting...." Read more
"...Cons: • Repetitive Themes: you might find the themes and messages a bit repetitive throughout the book" Read more
"...while making them interesting and relevant to readers through many personal stories, examples, and literally dozens of interviews to psychologists,..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it engaging and fun, while others describe it as boring.
"...The stories of people with the ability to persist are lively and interesting, but the overall feeling is of reading small vignette style biographies..." Read more
"...The book is amazingly boring. Duckworth also has a couple of glaring problems in logic...." Read more
"...shines in accurately presenting research findings while making them interesting and relevant to readers through many personal stories, examples, and..." Read more
"...It’s research, engaging, and personal. She weaves her own story of being told she wasn’t the smartest and raising children into the book...." Read more
Reviews with images

Amazing body of work on a topic we *think* we already know...
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025This book actually made me see myself in a new, encouraging, positive light. I might be a crybaby, but I'm a crybaby who follows through anyways, and apparently that qualifies as grit.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2016Note: I wrote this as part of a book review series I started at my workplace, thus the (slight) emphasis on work.
So, what is this book about?
According to bestselling author Stephen King, “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” I don’t know about you, but I didn’t always understand this. I used to believe that talent alone determines success—that if you have enough talent, you can be successful in something, and if you don’t have enough talent, you won’t succeed. Psychologist Angela Duckworth sets out to disprove this mistaken notion in her book. When you want to achieve an important goal, talent only gets you started. What keeps you going is a combination of passion and perseverance that Duckworth calls “grit.” For those of you who worry that you don’t have much grit (I’m talking to myself), good news: grit can grow. This book shows you how.
How difficult is the subject matter?
Duckworth is a psychologist, so naturally a lot of the material for Grit draws from her own research in the field as well as from the work of other psychologists and social scientists. However, you need not fear that this book is a bunch of statistics and clinical studies thrown together with some text. For Duckworth, the subject of grit and how it can help people thrive is her personal passion, so she shares much of what she has learned in a very approachable way: through stories. Inspiring stories about people from many different backgrounds, including West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee finalists, the women’s soccer coach at UNC Chapel Hill, a potter in Minnesota, a New York Times journalist in Kenya, the Seattle Seahawks, and students Duckworth herself used to work with when she taught seventh-grade math in New York’s Lower East Side. From these stories of gritty people doing gritty things, you’ll learn how grit is formed, how it grows, and how you can develop more grit in your own life and work.
How can this book help me in my daily work?
The subject of this book is too big to apply only to your daily work, in my opinion. Grit is a mindset encompassing one’s entire outlook on life. So if you are seeking specific practices for improving specific aspects of your work, this book will not be much help. But I believe this book can definitely help you, whatever your goals and responsibilities are, if you want to become a grittier person. And being grittier can certainly help improve your work performance.
What’s the main takeaway?
Duckworth sums it up like this: “Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.” In other words, talent is overrated; grit, a combination of passion and perseverance, is a better determinant of success.
What are some key nuggets?
Grit is chock-full of great nuggets! Here are a few:
• “In my view, the biggest reason a preoccupation with talent can be harmful is simple: By shining our spotlight on talent, we risk leaving everything else in the shadows. We inadvertently send the message that these other factors—including grit—don’t matter as much as they really do.”
• “From the very beginning to the very end, it is inestimably important to learn to keep going even when things are difficult, even when we have doubts. At various points, in big ways and small, we get knocked down. If we stay down, grit loses. If we get up, grit prevails.”
• “How you see your work is more important than your job title. And this means that you can go from job to career to calling—all without changing your occupation.”
• “When you keep searching for ways to change your situation for the better, you stand a chance of finding them. When you stop searching, assuming they can’t be found, you guarantee they won’t.”
• “The bottom line on culture and grit is: If you want to be grittier, find a gritty culture and join it. If you’re a leader, and you want the people in your organization to be grittier, create a gritty culture.”
Any caveats?
This book is not a best practices guide per se; as I said earlier, it’s about an overarching mindset. Rather than giving specific techniques, what it gives instead are insights into how you can develop a mindset of grittiness. You won’t get instant results. You’ll have to show up every day and rise every time you fall down. You’ll have to face a lot of resistance—mainly your own. But if you put in consistent effort over time and don’t give up, you’ll be a grittier person than you were before, and who knows what you’ll achieve?
Personal note:
It’s been about a month since I first read Grit, and I can report that I have grown a little grittier already. I still struggle a lot with inner resistance and the temptation to give up when things turn out to be harder than I anticipated; I’m sure these struggles will always be present to some extent. However, lately I’ve become more self-aware and often catch myself before I’m about to procrastinate or give up. I tell myself that gritty people keep going, and then I dust myself off and do my best to keep going.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2017For decades the U.S. Army has been educating their finest at West Point military academy. Only about half of the 2,500 applicants meet its rigorous academic and physical standards, which are as high as the elite universities. Nearly all men and women are ‘varsity athletes’. The first few months, known as the Beast, are the most physically and emotionally demanding of the four-year course. All admitted candidates have been selected, based on the ‘Whole Candidate Score’ test.
However, those who stayed and those who dropped out during the Beast, had indistinguishable scores. Both the Army and Dr. Duckworth were perplexed by the question: “Who spends two years trying to get into a place and then drops out in the first two months?”
What emerged from Duckworth’s work on the problem was the Grit Scale—a test that measures the extent to which you approach life with grit. Grit turned out to be an astoundingly reliable predictor of who made it through and who did not.
The Grit Scale was tested with sales people, among others, who are subject to the daily hardship of rejection. In an experiment involving hundreds of men and women who sold vacation time-share, Grit predicted who stayed and who left. Similar results were found in other demanding professions such as education.
“I came to a fundamental insight that would guide my future work,” explains Duckworth. “Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.”
Natural talent as the explanation of success, according to sociologist, Professor Dan Chambliss, “is perhaps the most pervasive lay explanation we have for athletic success.” However, his research led him to the conclusion that the minimal talent needed to succeed, is lower than most of us think.
“Without effort, your talent is nothing more than your unmet potential. Without effort, your skill is nothing more than what you could have done but didn’t. With effort, talent becomes skill, and effort makes skill productive.”
Grammy Award–winning musician and Oscar-nominated actor, Will Smith, says of himself: “I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is a ridiculous, sickening work ethic.”
Too many of us, it appears, give up far too early and far too often.
Duckworth’s research has led her to the conclusion that Grit has four components: interest, practice, passion, and hope.
According to the meta-analysis of sixty studies conducted over the past sixty years, employees whose personal interests fit with their occupations, do their jobs better, are more helpful to their co-workers, and stay at their jobs longer.
Of course, just because you love something doesn’t mean you will excel at it. Many people are poor at the things they love. Many of the Grit paragons interviewed by Duckworth spent years exploring several different interests before discovering the one that eventually came to occupy all of their waking thoughts. “While we might envy those who love what they do for a living, we shouldn’t assume that they started from a different place than the rest of us. Chances are, they took quite some time figuring out exactly what they wanted to do with their lives,” she explains.
The second requirement of Grit is practice. Numerous interviews of Grit paragons revealed that they are all committed to continuous improvement. There are no exceptions. This continuous improvement leads to a gradual improvement of their skills over years.
“That there’s a learning curve for skill development isn’t surprising. But the timescale on which that development happens is,” Duckworth discovered. Anders Ericsson’s work with a German music academy revealed that those who excelled, practised about 10,000 hours over ten years before achieving elite levels of expertise. The less accomplished practised half as much.
Ericsson’s crucial insight is not that experts practice much more, but that they practice very deliberately. Experts are more interested in correcting what they do wrong rather than what they did right, until conscious incompetence becomes unconscious competence.
Dancer Martha Graham says “Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to the paradise of that achievement is not easier than any other. There is fatigue so great that the body cries even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration. There are daily small deaths.”
Gritty people do more deliberate practice than others.
The third component of Grit is purpose, the desire to contribute to the well-being of others. If Grit starts with a relatively self-oriented interest to which self-disciplined practice is added, the end point is integrating that work with an other-centred purpose.
“The long days and evenings of toil, the setbacks and disappointments and struggle, the sacrifice—all this is worth it because, ultimately, their efforts pay dividends to other people,” Duckworth identified. Most Gritty people saw their ultimate aims as deeply connected to the world beyond themselves.
The bricklayer may have a job laying bricks so he can pay for food. He may later see bricklaying as his career, and later still as a calling to build beautiful homes for people. It is this last group who seem most satisfied with their jobs and their lives overall, and missed at least a third fewer days of work than those with merely a job or a career as opposed to a calling.
The final component of Grit is hope, but a different kind to the “hopium” many embrace. It is the expectation that our own efforts can improve our future. The hope that creates Grit has nothing to do with luck, so failure is a cue to try harder, rather than as confirmation that one lacks ability.
The book also includes chapters on developing Gritty children, sports teams, and companies.
It is a book for those who relish solid research and well-reasoned conclusions. It is highly motivational, in a mature and thoughtful way. Get the book. Work it, and share the knowledge. It could be transformative.
Readability Light ---+- Serious
Insights High +---- Low
Practical High -+--- Low
*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works.
Top reviews from other countries
- KCSReviewed in Canada on December 1, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I had this book when I was 15 or 20 [now I’m 73]
Great book, well documented, eye opening.
I wish I had this book when I was 15 or 20 [now I’m 73].
I’ve had a great life and a lot of success, the concepts in this book might have made it easier. I have no doubt that grit played a large role in my successes, but with this book as a 15 year old the development of my grit would have been smoother and sooner.
- Israel BloeschReviewed in Spain on May 27, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest to find the way to get grittier.
Reading this (or any) book won’t make you better or more successful achieving. But you will understand what to do and why.
- JinReviewed in the United Arab Emirates on November 16, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars As expected
As expected
- DaudReviewed in Australia on November 19, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read
Love the book, the perspective of writer is unique but not alien one. Practical experiences and life examples shown to work in our lives.
-
Sargon AstephoReviewed in France on August 3, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable et enrichissant
Excellent livre.
Je n’avais aucune connaissance préalable sur le sujet et j’en ai beaucoup appris.
Anglais simple et compréhensible, très bonne explication du sujet, de la base scientifique et de son application au quotidien.
Il est cité par de nombreuses autres sources. A lire!