Grit Book Summary
The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Book by Angela Duckworth
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Summary
In "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," Angela Duckworth argues that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls "grit."
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1. What Grit Is And Why It Matters
West Point Cadets And The Grit Test
The author studied West Point cadets and found that those who scored higher on her Grit Scale were more likely to make it through the grueling "Beast Barracks" training than cadets with lower grit scores.
Grit mattered more for retention than things like SAT scores, high school rank, leadership experience or athletic ability. The Grit Scale was a better predictor of who would make it through the intensive 7-week training program than any other factor. This was true even when controlling for things like physical fitness and aptitude test scores. It demonstrated that inner traits like passion and perseverance can be more important than raw talent.
Section: 1, Chapter: 1
Grit Predicts Success In Varied Domains
The author found grit predicted success in diverse areas like the National Spelling Bee, sales jobs, Chicago public high schools, and graduation from two-year colleges.
- In a study of Spelling Bee contestants, grittier kids practiced more and performed better in the actual competition. In a study of salespeople, grit was the best predictor of job retention.
- For Chicago high school juniors, grit scores predicted graduation rates more than how much students cared about school, their conscientiousness, and even their feelings of safety at school.
- Grit also predicted which students would graduate from two-year colleges, a context where the dropout rate can be as high as 80%.
- Across various populations, grit accounted for significant variance in success outcomes over and beyond IQ, conscientiousness, and other variables.
Section: 1, Chapter: 1
"The Mundanity Of Excellence"
The author discusses a study by Daniel Chambliss titled "The Mundanity of Excellence" which found that top swimmers achieved excellence through aggregating mundane, ordinary actions. There was no dramatic moment or superhuman ability that led to their success - just consistently doing the small things right, day after day, year after year.
The best swimmers had developed a strong work ethic, logged more hours of purposeful practice, and had refined small but important details of their technique. Chambliss argued that talent was overrated and that "superlative performance is really a confluence of dozens of small skills or activities, each one learned or stumbled upon, which have been carefully drilled into habit and then are fitted together in a synthesized whole."
Section: 1, Chapter: 2
Talent And Effort Are Not Enough
The author proposes two equations that explain how talent and effort lead to achievement:
- Talent x Effort = Skill
- Skill x Effort = Achievement
Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. People may start out with different levels of talent, but it's the amount and consistency of effort that determines growth in skill over time.
Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them in a focused way. You can be tremendously talented, but if you don't put in the effort to develop and apply your skills, you won't achieve much. Effort is the amplifier that converts talent into skill, and skill into achievement. In other words, effort counts twice!
Section: 1, Chapter: 2
Will Smith's Relentless Work Ethic
"The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is: I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me. You might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple." - Will Smith
Section: 1, Chapter: 3
Strengthen Your Grit With A Growth Mindset
Grit depends on having a "growth mindset" - the belief that your abilities can be developed through sustained effort over time. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has shown that people with a growth mindset tend to achieve more than those with a "fixed mindset" who believe their abilities are static.
- With a growth mindset, you're more likely to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and see effort as the path to mastery. You believe that you can get smarter and develop your talents through hard work.
- To cultivate grit, focus on shifting your inner monologue to a growth mindset if you tend to have more of a fixed mindset about abilities. Recognize that getting better at anything takes patience, struggle, and persistence - not just raw aptitude. Reframe challenges as opportunities to learn and improve. Celebrate the process, not just the outcome.
Section: 1, Chapter: 3
This concept is also discussed in:
Mindset
The Grit Scale: Measuring Passion And Perseverance
The author developed a 10-item self-report questionnaire called the Grit Scale to measure an individual's passion and perseverance for long-term goals. The scale includes items like "I finish whatever I begin" and "Setbacks don't discourage me" rated on a 5-point scale. Scores range from 1 (not at all gritty) to 5 (extremely gritty).
The Grit Scale has been validated in numerous studies and is a reliable way to quantify grit. It can be broken down into two subscores - one for passion (consistency of interests) and one for perseverance (persistence of effort). The author found that in most samples, perseverance scores tend to be slightly higher than passion scores, suggesting that sustaining consistent interests over time is harder than maintaining effort in the face of adversity.
Section: 1, Chapter: 4
Grit Paragons Have Passion For A Top-Level Goal
In interviews with grit paragons, the author found they all framed their work in terms of a top-level, life-organizing goal.
This top-level goal acts as a compass that guides and motivates gritty people. All their mid-level and low-level goals support this ultimate aim. Having a unifying passion brings coherence and meaning to day-to-day efforts.
Grit paragons aren't just performance machines - they're also deeply motivated by the significance of what they do. They believe their work has purpose and meaning beyond themselves. Passion for a top-level goal and a sense of purpose go hand in hand for the grittiest people.
Section: 1, Chapter: 4
Prioritize Goals To Cultivate Passion And Grit
To cultivate grit, it's not enough to have multiple mid-level goals. You need to have a clear hierarchy of goals, with a top-level passion that connects your efforts. Ask yourself: To what extent do my goals serve a common purpose?
Use investor Warren Buffett's "2 List Strategy" to prioritize your goals. Write down your top 25 goals, circle the 5 most important to you, and focus on those while avoiding the others. Gritty people are highly selective about where they direct their efforts.
Remember that your low-level and mid-level goals can change as you progress. It's your top-level, ultimate goal that should remain consistent over time. Be willing to quit goals that no longer serve your core interests and values. Passion is about dedication to an abiding, top-level goal - not blind allegiance to any one path.
Section: 1, Chapter: 4
Grit Grows With Age And Life Experience
Grit tends to increase with age, especially from the 20s to the 40s. Data from the author's Grit Scale shows a positive correlation between age and grit.
Longitudinal studies show that people tend to become more conscientious, confident, caring, and emotionally stable with age and life experience - a pattern known as the "maturity principle" in psychology.
The same may be true for grit. Experience teaches us life lessons and builds the psychological resources needed for long-term perseverance.
Anecdotally, many grit paragons describe developing determination, resilience, and a sense of purpose over time, not being born with those traits.
Section: 1, Chapter: 5
You Can Grow Your Grit From The Inside Out
Based on her interviews with grit paragons and review of the research literature, the author identified four psychological assets that contribute to grit, which we can intentionally cultivate:
- Interest: Intrinsic enjoyment of what you do. Passion begins with discovering and developing strong interests.
- Practice: Disciplined, daily efforts to improve your skills. The drive to constantly challenge yourself and get better.
- Purpose: The conviction that your work matters and contributes to the well-being of others. Doing something bigger than yourself.
- Hope: The expectation that your efforts can improve your future. Believing you have the power to make tomorrow better through what you do today.
Section: 1, Chapter: 5
2. Growing Grit From The Inside Out
Interests Are Triggered And Developed, Not Just Discovered
Passion for your work often starts with a seed of interest. But interests are not just stumbled upon - they are actively triggered, cultivated, and deepened over time. Longitudinal studies show that most people start gravitating toward enduring interests around middle school, not in a single epiphany.
Crucially, interests are supported and nurtured through ongoing interaction with the environment, not just introspection. You have to encounter something repeatedly and in a positive way to develop a genuine passion for it. Encouragement from parents, teachers, peers, and mentors is key.
Section: 2, Chapter: 6
Follow Your Passion Is Incomplete Advice
"Follow your passion" has become a cultural cliché and go-to advice for career seekers. But it's overly simplistic and misleading. Most people early in their careers don't have pre-existing passions to follow.
Research shows that people perform better and are more satisfied when what they do aligns with their personal interests. But passions are developed, not just stumbled upon fully-formed.
A more complete version of the advice would be "Foster a passion." Instead of trying to discover your one true calling, actively explore and cultivate different interests. Treat interests as possibilities to explore, not preexisting traits. Be patient in developing your interests before expecting a clear passion to emerge.
Section: 2, Chapter: 6
The Tedious Can Become Fascinating To The Gritty
"Even the most complex and creative of human abilities can be broken down into its component skills, each of which can be practiced, practiced, practiced."
Section: 2, Chapter: 6
Deliberate Practice Is Key To Developing Expertise
The author draws on research by psychologist Anders Ericsson to argue that deliberate practice, not just experience, is key to achieving mastery. Deliberate practice is characterized by:
- Having a well-defined, specific stretch goal
- Maintaining full concentration and effort
- Getting immediate and informative feedback
- Repeating with reflection and refinement
It's focused, effortful practice - not just logging hours - that leads to expertise. The difference between experts and nonexperts is not just that they practiced more, but that they practiced differently, intentionally pushing themselves to the edge of their skill level. Deliberate practice requires getting out of your comfort zone and embracing difficulty and feedback.
Section: 2, Chapter: 7
Make Deliberate Practice A Habit
To maximize skill development, establish a routine of deliberate practice. Set a regular time, place, and duration for practicing with full concentration and effort. Make practice into a ritual so it becomes automatic.
Habits reduce the need to use finite willpower. When practice becomes a default, progress accumulates more rapidly. Grit paragons have daily disciplines and routines (writing, training, rehearsing) that fuel their improvement.
Maintain a growth mindset about practice - see challenges and feedback as information to guide your learning, not threats to your ego. Cultivate a "rage to master" and find ways to re-frame practice as intrinsically rewarding.
Section: 2, Chapter: 7
There Are Different Kinds Of Positive Purpose
The author gives examples of how different grit paragons conceptualize their beyond-the-self purpose:
- Jane Golden, founder of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, believes her purpose is beautifying the city and saving lives through public art. Despite chronic pain from lupus, she perseveres out of a "moral imperative" to serve others.
- Wine critic Antonio Galloni sees his mission as educating people to understand and enjoy wine, helping them appreciate its artistry and enrich their lives. Sharing his interest with others gives him a sense of purpose.
- As a teenager, the author herself found a sense of purpose in working with underprivileged kids through the Summerbridge educational non-profit.
Purpose looks different for different people, but the common theme is connecting personal passions and efforts to a cause or mission that transcends the self.
Section: 2, Chapter: 8
Hope Differentiates Optimists From Pessimists
Drawing on prior research on learned helplessness and explanatory style, the author argues that a defining quality of grit is having an optimistic, hopeful response to adversity and failure. Gritty people tend to:
- Attribute failure to specific, temporary causes (I had a bad day) rather than permanent, pervasive ones (I'm not good enough)
- Believe they have some control over their circumstances and can learn to do better next time
- See major challenges as opportunities to grow from rather than threats to fear
- Maintain confidence in their ability to eventually prevail through sustained effort
In contrast, a pessimistic, helpless response to adversity leads to self-blame, avoidance of challenges, and giving up prematurely.
Section: 2, Chapter: 9
You Can Update Your Beliefs About Failure
- Learn to recognize self-defeating thoughts when facing adversity. Notice when you're catastrophizing, self-blaming, or assuming you can't improve. These are signs of a fixed, pessimistic mindset.
- Talk back to your fixed mindset with more hopeful, optimistic self-talk. Acknowledge the failure or challenge, but don't view it as permanent. Use mental contrasting: consider how you'd like to do better while maintaining the expectation you can improve.
- View adversity as information to guide your practice, not a final verdict on your potential. Ask: What can I learn here? How can I adjust my approach? What can I try next? Assume that strategic effort will yield progress.
Section: 2, Chapter: 9
3. Growing Grit From The Outside In
Wise Parenting Builds Grit From The Outside In
The author argues that parents can foster grit in their children by being both supportive and demanding. She calls this "wise parenting" and contrasts it with three other common parenting styles:
- Permissive parents (supportive but not demanding)
- Authoritarian parents (demanding but not supportive)
- Neglectful parents (neither supportive nor demanding)
Decades of research show that kids with wise parents fare better across a range of outcomes, from academic achievement to mental health. Wise parents provide a secure base of love and respect while also maintaining high standards and expectations. They cultivate grit in their children by encouraging passion, providing opportunities for practice, fostering purpose, and modeling hope.
Section: 3, Chapter: 10
Parenting For Grit Starts With Modeling Grit
- Reflect on your own passion and perseverance. Kids are always watching and imitating their parents' behavior, often subconsciously. If you want to cultivate grit in your child, start by embodying it yourself.
- Wise parents don't just tell their kids to work hard - they show them how. They model commitment to their own interests and live out the idea that excellence requires effort. Being a gritty role model is the foundation for parenting gritty kids.
- Intentionally narrate your gritty behaviors so your child notices them. Talk about how you handle setbacks, what your bigger-picture purpose is, and how you've maintained interests over time. Make your inner grit visible.
Section: 3, Chapter: 10
Any Activity Can Become A Passion With Commitment
The author shares the story of Kat Cole, who rose from an hourly worker at Hooters to running Cinnabon by age 32. Kat didn't start out with a singular vocational passion. She just kept showing up, working hard, and looking for ways to contribute. Over time, her interests and skills as a leader deepened. She imbued work others might dismiss as trivial with a strong sense of purpose.
Kat's story illustrates how grit can grow in ordinary situations, not just elite extracurriculars or grand projects. She transformed a low-wage service job into a calling by committing to mastery and taking an other-centered approach. Her passion didn't arrive fully-formed - it emerged through gritty engagement over a long period.
What activity you choose to pour yourself into may matter less than how you approach it. With time and intentional practice, even unexpected pursuits can become your life's work and a source of purpose.
Section: 3, Chapter: 11
The Hard Thing Rule Builds Habits Of Grit
Consider adopting the "Hard Thing Rule" in your family. It has three parts:
- Everyone has to do a hard thing (something that requires deliberate practice),
- You can quit, but not until a natural stopping point,
- You get to pick your hard thing.
The Rule encourages kids to develop interests and stick with them, to learn from challenges, and to practice self-discipline. It makes gritty habits a normal, expected part of growing up.
As kids get older, consider extending the Hard Thing Rule commitment period to two years at a time. This builds the skill of consistency and teaches that progress can be slow before it compounds. Keep the focus on supporting hard work and growth.
Section: 3, Chapter: 11
Organizational Culture Can Be Intentionally Designed To Promote Grit
While individuals can cultivate grit from the inside out, grit can also be powerfully shaped by the environment and culture in which we operate. Leaders and organizations can create a "culture of grit" that encourages passion and perseverance.
Organizational culture includes the shared language, norms, and values of a group. It's "the way we do things around here." A strong culture makes certain behaviors and mindsets feel expected and normal. Leaders like Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase have fostered grit in their organizations through consistent messaging, role modeling, and systems that promote and reward effortful practice, resilience, and purpose.
Section: 3, Chapter: 12
To Build Culture, Start With Shared Language
The author profiles how Pete Carroll established a culture of grit after becoming head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. One of his first moves was developing a shared vocabulary, including mantras like:
- Always compete (compete with yourself to get better every day)
- Practice is everything (give max effort in training, not just in games)
- Finish strong (maintain focus and intensity all the way)
- Team first (put the mission and your teammates before yourself)
Critically, Carroll focused more on process than outcomes. His core ideas emphasized things that were repeatable and controllable - competing with oneself, finishing practices strong, putting the team first. By keeping the language on effortful mastery rather than winning, Carroll made grit the bedrock of Seahawks culture.
Section: 3, Chapter: 12
Grit Is One Piece Of Character Development
While grit is important, the author emphasizes that it's just one aspect of character. She places grit in a framework of three interconnected clusters of virtues:
- Intrapersonal: includes grit, self-control, responsibility - strengths that help achieve personal goals
- Interpersonal: includes kindness, social intelligence, gratitude - strengths that enable caring for others
- Intellectual: includes curiosity, zest, humor - strengths that support open and fluid thinking
These capacities are mutually reinforcing. Ultimately, character requires development and integration across domains.
The author cautions that while grit is popularly associated with success, it's possible to be gritty in pursuit of antisocial or destructive goals. Grit in the service of evil is still grit. Therefore, grit must be intentionally cultivated in conjunction with moral and prosocial character.
Section: 3, Chapter: 13
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