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''Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance'' is a nonfiction book by psychologist Angela Duckworth, published in the United States by Scribner on 3 May 2016. <ref name="S&S2016">{{cite web |title=Grit |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Grit/Angela-Duckworth/9781501111105 |website=Simon & Schuster |publisher=Simon & Schuster |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The book popularizes Duckworth’s research on “grit,” defined in the academic literature as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. <ref name="Duckworth2007">{{cite journal |last=Duckworth |first=Angela L. |author2=Christopher Peterson |author3=Michael D. Matthews |author4=Dennis R. Kelly |date=2007 |title=Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=92 |issue=6 |pages=1087–1101 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17547490/ |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The first Scribner hardcover edition is cataloged with LCCN 2015042880 and ISBN 978-1-5011-1110-5. <ref name="OCLC953827740">{{cite web |title=Grit : the power of passion and perseverance |url=https://search.worldcat.org/es/title/Grit-%3A-the-power-of-passion-and-perseverance/oclc/953827740 |website=WorldCat |publisher=OCLC |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> A trade paperback edition followed on 21 August 2018. <ref name="S&S2018">{{cite web |title=Grit (Trade Paperback) |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Grit/Angela-Duckworth/9781501111112 |website=Simon & Schuster |publisher=Simon & Schuster |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The publisher lists the hardcover at 352 pages, while many library catalogs record xv, 333 pages. <ref name="S&S2016b">{{cite web |title=Grit — Product details |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Grit/Angela-Duckworth/9781501111105 |website=Simon & Schuster |publisher=Simon & Schuster |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="OCLC953827740" />
📘 '''''Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance''''' is a nonfiction book by psychologist Angela Duckworth that blends research and reportage to argue that sustained passion and effort—“grit”—drive long-term achievement. <ref name="S&S2016" /> Duckworth defines grit in the scholarly literature as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” drawing on studies of West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee contestants, and other cohorts. <ref name="Duckworth2007" /> The book introduces an “effort counts twice” equation (talent × effort = skill; skill × effort = achievement) and organizes practical guidance around interest, deliberate practice, purpose, and hope. <ref name="PW2016Review">{{cite news |title=Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781501111105 |work=Publishers Weekly |date=21 March 2016 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="S&S2016" /> Written in an accessible, reportorial style that mixes case studies with psychology, the prose aims to explain findings and offer usable advice. <ref name="Kirkus2016">{{cite web |title=GRIT |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/angela-duckworth/grit-power/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |date=7 March 2016 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The hardcover is structured in three parts—what grit is and why it matters; growing grit from the inside out; and growing grit from the outside in—with a concluding chapter. <ref name="MarmotToC2016">{{cite web |title=Grit: the power of passion and perseverance — Table of contents |url=https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b58658488 |website=Colorado Mountain College (Marmot Library Network) |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> On release in May 2016 it was billed by the publisher as an “instant New York Times bestseller” and debuted at #2 on ''Publishers Weekly’’’s Hardcover Nonfiction list (week of 16 May 2016). <ref name="S&S2016" /><ref name="PW2016Best">{{cite news |title=This Week’s Bestsellers: May 16, 2016 |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/70378-this-week-s-bestsellers-may-16-2016.html |work=Publishers Weekly |date=13 May 2016 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref>


== Chapter summary ==
== Chapter summary ==
Line 60: Line 60:


📘 '''Conclusion.'''
📘 '''Conclusion.'''

== Background & reception ==

🖋️ '''Author & writing'''. Angela Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania whose research focuses on grit and self-control. <ref name="UPennPsych">{{cite web |title=Angela Duckworth |url=https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/node/396 |website=University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013. <ref name="MacArthur2013">{{cite web |title=Angela Duckworth |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2013/angela-duckworth |website=MacArthur Foundation |date=25 September 2013 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The academic foundation for the book is her work defining grit and testing it across populations such as West Point cadets and National Spelling Bee contestants. <ref name="Duckworth2007" /> The publisher describes the book as weaving personal narrative with field studies in schools, the military, and competitive settings. <ref name="S&S2016" /> The first edition presents a three-part structure (definition and importance; growing grit from the inside out; growing grit from the outside in) that frames the reportage-plus-science voice. <ref name="MarmotToC2016" /><ref name="Kirkus2016" /> Duckworth also co-founded Character Lab in 2013 to translate research into practice through school-based studies and online “Playbooks.” <ref name="CharacterLabAbout">{{cite web |title=About Character Lab |url=https://characterlab.org/about/ |website=Character Lab |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> Character Lab later announced it would sunset operations in June 2024. <ref name="CharacterLabClose">{{cite web |title=Character Lab — legacy site |url=https://characterlab.org/ |website=Character Lab |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref>

📈 '''Commercial reception'''. ''Publishers Weekly'' reported that ''Grit'' debuted at #2 on its Hardcover Nonfiction list for the week of 16 May 2016. <ref name="PW2016Best" /> Simon & Schuster describes the title as an “instant New York Times bestseller.” <ref name="S&S2016" /> A trade paperback edition followed on 21 August 2018. <ref name="S&S2018">{{cite web |title=Grit (Trade Paperback) |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Grit/Angela-Duckworth/9781501111112 |website=Simon & Schuster |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> An audiobook narrated by the author was released by Simon & Schuster Audio. <ref name="MarmotAudio">{{cite web |title=Grit (Audio CD) — bibliographic record |url=https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b50866758 |website=Colorado Mountain College (Marmot Library Network) |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref>

👍 '''Praise'''. ''Publishers Weekly'' called the book “an informative and inspiring contribution to the literature of success.” <ref name="PW2016Review" /> ''Kirkus Reviews'' described it as an accessible blend of anecdote and science and “a pleasure to read.” <ref name="Kirkus2016" /> In ''The Washington Post'', Sarah Carr judged it a useful guide for parents and teachers, summarizing its emphasis on interest, practice, purpose, and hope. <ref name="WaPo2016">{{cite news |last=Carr |first=Sarah |title=If you’ve heard the term grit lately, it’s probably because of Angela Duckworth |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/if-youve-heard-the-term-grit-lately-its-probably-because-of-angela-duckworth/2016/04/27/b5b14f4e-0711-11e6-bdcb-0133da18418d_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=29 April 2016 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref>

👎 '''Criticism'''. David Denby in ''The New Yorker'' argued that ''Grit'' overstates a single trait and can neglect structural factors such as poverty and opportunity. <ref name="NewYorker2016">{{cite news |last=Denby |first=David |title=The Limits of “Grit” |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-limits-of-grit |work=The New Yorker |date=21 June 2016 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> Jerry Useem in ''The Atlantic'' highlighted downsides of dogged persistence and cautioned against elevating grit above other skills. <ref name="Atlantic2016">{{cite news |last=Useem |first=Jerry |title=Is Grit Overrated? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/is-grit-overrated/476397/ |work=The Atlantic |date=May 2016 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> A 2017 meta-analysis questioned grit’s distinctiveness from conscientiousness and found modest links to performance outcomes. <ref name="Crede2017">{{cite journal |last=Credé |first=Marcus |author2=Tynan, Michael C. |author3=Harms, Peter D. |date=2017 |title=Much ado about grit: A meta-analytic synthesis of the grit literature |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=113 |issue=3 |pages=492–511 |doi=10.1037/pspp0000102 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27845531/ |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> The Harvard Graduate School of Education also summarized concerns that a grit focus can “blame the victim” by downplaying systemic barriers. <ref name="HGSE2015">{{cite web |title=The Problem With Grit |url=https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/15/04/problem-grit |website=Harvard Graduate School of Education |date=8 April 2015 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref>

🌍 '''Impact & adoption'''. Duckworth’s 2013 TED Talk, “Grit: the power of passion and perseverance,” has been widely viewed and helped popularize the concept beyond academia. <ref name="TEDEdTalk">{{cite web |title=Grit: the power of passion and perseverance — TED-Ed lesson |url=https://ed.ted.com/lessons/grit-the-power-of-passion-and-perseverance-angela-lee-duckworth |website=TED-Ed |date=9 May 2013 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> KIPP’s Character Growth Card incorporated “grit” among seven character strengths used for feedback in schools. <ref name="KIPP2011">{{cite web |title=KIPP NYC’s Approach to Character — Q&A |url=https://www.kipp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/QnA_on_KIPP_NYCs_Approach_to_Character.pdf |website=KIPP |date=2012 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> In research settings, noncognitive attributes including grit have predicted completion of intensive initiation training and four-year graduation among West Point cadets. <ref name="PNAS2019">{{cite journal |last=Duckworth |first=Angela L. |author2=Quirk, A. |author3=Gallop, R. |author4=Hoyle, R. H. |author5=Kelly, D. R. |author6=Matthews, M. D. |date=2019 |title=Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=116 |issue=47 |pages=23499–23504 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1910510116 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31685624/ |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref> At the same time, large U.S. districts (the CORE network in California) pursued SEL measurement focusing on constructs such as growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-management, and social awareness rather than grading “grit,” reflecting cautions Duckworth herself has voiced about high-stakes use. <ref name="EdPolicyCORE">{{cite web |title=Measures of SEL and School Climate in California |url=https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/a_allbright-may2020.pdf |website=Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) |date=May 2020 |access-date=3 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="HGSE2015" />


== Related content & more ==
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Revision as of 14:46, 3 November 2025

"As much as talent counts, effort counts twice."

— Angela Duckworth, Grit (2016)

Introduction

Grit
Full titleGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
AuthorAngela Duckworth
LanguageEnglish
SubjectSuccess; Perseverance (Ethics); Psychology
GenreNonfiction; Self-help
PublisherScribner
Publication date
3 May 2016
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook
Pages333
ISBN978-1-5011-1110-5
Websitesimonandschuster.com

📘 Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is a nonfiction book by psychologist Angela Duckworth that blends research and reportage to argue that sustained passion and effort—“grit”—drive long-term achievement. [1] Duckworth defines grit in the scholarly literature as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” drawing on studies of West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee contestants, and other cohorts. [2] The book introduces an “effort counts twice” equation (talent × effort = skill; skill × effort = achievement) and organizes practical guidance around interest, deliberate practice, purpose, and hope. [3][1] Written in an accessible, reportorial style that mixes case studies with psychology, the prose aims to explain findings and offer usable advice. [4] The hardcover is structured in three parts—what grit is and why it matters; growing grit from the inside out; and growing grit from the outside in—with a concluding chapter. [5] On release in May 2016 it was billed by the publisher as an “instant New York Times bestseller” and debuted at #2 on Publishers Weekly’’’s Hardcover Nonfiction list (week of 16 May 2016). [1][6]

Chapter summary

This outline follows the Scribner hardcover edition (2016, ISBN 978-1-5011-1110-5).[7]

I – What Grit Is and Why It Matters

🚪 1 – Showing Up.

🌟 2 – Distracted by Talent.

🔁 3 – Effort Counts Twice.

🧪 4 – How Gritty Are You?.

🌱 5 – Grit Grows.

II – Growing Grit from the Inside Out

🔍 6 – Interest.

🛠️ 7 – Practice.

🎯 8 – Purpose.

🌅 9 – Hope.

III – Growing Grit from the Outside In

👨‍👩‍👧 10 – Parenting for Grit.

🏟️ 11 – The Playing Fields of Grit.

🏛️ 12 – A Culture of Grit.

📘 Conclusion.

Background & reception

🖋️ Author & writing. Angela Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania whose research focuses on grit and self-control. [8] She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013. [9] The academic foundation for the book is her work defining grit and testing it across populations such as West Point cadets and National Spelling Bee contestants. [2] The publisher describes the book as weaving personal narrative with field studies in schools, the military, and competitive settings. [1] The first edition presents a three-part structure (definition and importance; growing grit from the inside out; growing grit from the outside in) that frames the reportage-plus-science voice. [5][4] Duckworth also co-founded Character Lab in 2013 to translate research into practice through school-based studies and online “Playbooks.” [10] Character Lab later announced it would sunset operations in June 2024. [11]

📈 Commercial reception. Publishers Weekly reported that Grit debuted at #2 on its Hardcover Nonfiction list for the week of 16 May 2016. [6] Simon & Schuster describes the title as an “instant New York Times bestseller.” [1] A trade paperback edition followed on 21 August 2018. [12] An audiobook narrated by the author was released by Simon & Schuster Audio. [13]

👍 Praise. Publishers Weekly called the book “an informative and inspiring contribution to the literature of success.” [3] Kirkus Reviews described it as an accessible blend of anecdote and science and “a pleasure to read.” [4] In The Washington Post, Sarah Carr judged it a useful guide for parents and teachers, summarizing its emphasis on interest, practice, purpose, and hope. [14]

👎 Criticism. David Denby in The New Yorker argued that Grit overstates a single trait and can neglect structural factors such as poverty and opportunity. [15] Jerry Useem in The Atlantic highlighted downsides of dogged persistence and cautioned against elevating grit above other skills. [16] A 2017 meta-analysis questioned grit’s distinctiveness from conscientiousness and found modest links to performance outcomes. [17] The Harvard Graduate School of Education also summarized concerns that a grit focus can “blame the victim” by downplaying systemic barriers. [18]

🌍 Impact & adoption. Duckworth’s 2013 TED Talk, “Grit: the power of passion and perseverance,” has been widely viewed and helped popularize the concept beyond academia. [19] KIPP’s Character Growth Card incorporated “grit” among seven character strengths used for feedback in schools. [20] In research settings, noncognitive attributes including grit have predicted completion of intensive initiation training and four-year graduation among West Point cadets. [21] At the same time, large U.S. districts (the CORE network in California) pursued SEL measurement focusing on constructs such as growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-management, and social awareness rather than grading “grit,” reflecting cautions Duckworth herself has voiced about high-stakes use. [22][18]

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named S&S2016
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Duckworth2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance". Publishers Weekly. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "GRIT". Kirkus Reviews. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Grit: the power of passion and perseverance — Table of contents". Colorado Mountain College (Marmot Library Network). Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "This Week's Bestsellers: May 16, 2016". Publishers Weekly. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named OCLC953827740
  8. ↑ "Angela Duckworth". University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  9. ↑ "Angela Duckworth". MacArthur Foundation. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "About Character Lab". Character Lab. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Character Lab — legacy site". Character Lab. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "Grit (Trade Paperback)". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  13. ↑ "Grit (Audio CD) — bibliographic record". Colorado Mountain College (Marmot Library Network). Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  14. ↑ Carr, Sarah (29 April 2016). "If you've heard the term grit lately, it's probably because of Angela Duckworth". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  15. ↑ Denby, David (21 June 2016). "The Limits of "Grit"". The New Yorker. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  16. ↑ Useem, Jerry (May 2016). "Is Grit Overrated?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Credé, Marcus; Tynan, Michael C.; Harms, Peter D. (2017). "Much ado about grit: A meta-analytic synthesis of the grit literature". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 113 (3): 492–511. doi:10.1037/pspp0000102. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "The Problem With Grit". Harvard Graduate School of Education. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "Grit: the power of passion and perseverance — TED-Ed lesson". TED-Ed. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "KIPP NYC's Approach to Character — Q&A" (PDF). KIPP. 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Duckworth, Angela L.; Quirk, A.; Gallop, R.; Hoyle, R. H.; Kelly, D. R.; Matthews, M. D. (2019). "Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (47): 23499–23504. doi:10.1073/pnas.1910510116. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "Measures of SEL and School Climate in California" (PDF). Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). May 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
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