Grit: Difference between revisions

| goodreads_rating = 4.10

| goodreads_rating_date = 6 November 2025

📘 '''''{{Tooltip|Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance}}''''' is a nonfiction book by psychologist {{Tooltip|Angela Duckworth}} that blends research and reportage to argue that sustained passion and effort—“grit”—drive long-term achievement. 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. 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> Written in an accessible, reportorial style that mixes case studies and psychology, the prose explains findings and offers practical 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 {{Tooltip|New York Times}} bestseller” and debuted at #2 on ''{{Tooltip|Publishers Weekly}}''’s Hardcover Nonfiction list (week of 16 May 2016). <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>

🖋️ '''Author & writing'''. {{Tooltip|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. The publisher describes the book as weaving personal narrative with field studies in schools, the military, and competitive settings. 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'''. ''{{Tooltip|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.” 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'''. ''{{Tooltip|Publishers Weekly}}'' called the book “an informative and inspiring contribution to the literature of success.” <ref name="PW2016Review" /> ''{{Tooltip|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 {{Tooltip|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" />

{{Youtube thumbnail | H14bBuluwB8 | TED Talk by Angela Duckworth: Grit (6TED minTalk)}}

{{Youtube thumbnail | sWctLEdIgi4 | Animated''Grit'' animated summary by Productivity Game (6 min)}}