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.
The Book in Three Sentences
- The secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but grit: a special blend of passion and persistence.
- Grit is about having passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
- Gritty people are able to maintain their determination and motivation over long periods despite experiences with failure and adversity.
The Key Ideas
#1: The Psychology of Achievement: We consistently overestimate talent, but ignore the reality that effort counts twice. Skill requires talent and effort, and achievement requires skill and effort.
#2: Grit and Goal Structures: The grittiest high achievers tend to have a top-level goal (or “ultimate concern”) to which all their lower-level and middle-level goals coherently work.
#3: The Power of Passion and Practice: The grittiest embrace long-term deliberate practice. They work on weaknesses and develop a depth of interest in their specialism beyond the ordinary.
#4: The Guiding Light of Purpose and Hope: The gritty are optimistic self-improvers. They get up time and time again in the face of adversity.
#5: Creating Grit from the Outside In: Grit can be cultivated in our external environment, via parents and role models, extra-curricular activities, and teams and cultures.
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