Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

“Why were the highly accomplished so dogged in their pursuits? For most, there was no realistic expectation of ever catching up to their ambitions. In their own eyes, they were never good enough. They were the opposite of complacent. And yet, in a very real sense, they were satisfied being unsatisfied. Each was chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance, and it was the chase—as much as the capture—that was gratifying. Even if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring.” 

“In sum, no matter the domain, the highly successful had a kind of ferocious determination that played out in two ways. First, these exemplars were unusually resilient and hardworking. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted. They not only had determination, they had direction. It was this combination of passion and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit.” 

“In sum, no matter the domain, the highly successful had a kind of ferocious determination that played out in two ways. First, these exemplars were unusually resilient and hardworking. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted. They not only had determination, they had direction. It was this combination of passion and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit.” 

The passion to win or achieve or create guides successful people toward their goals. Their perseverance isn’t grim but inspired, an energy fueled by ongoing enthusiasm for their project.

“I began to reflect on how smart even my weakest students sounded when they talked about things that genuinely interested them. These were conversations I found almost impossible to follow: discourses on basketball statistics, the lyrics to songs they really liked, and complicated plotlines about who was no longer speaking to whom and why. When I got to know my students better, I discovered that all of them had mastered any number of complicated ideas in their very complicated daily lives.” 

Students who struggle with math often display quick intelligence on topics they’re passionate about. Duckworth began to look for ways to inspire the less-talented pupils to work a bit harder until they achieved a satisfying grasp of the concepts.

“I have no great quickness of apprehension [that] is so remarkable in some clever men […] I think I am superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully. My industry has been nearly as great as it could have been in the observation and collection of facts. What is far more important, my love of natural science has been steady and ardent.”

This comment by Charles Darwin shows that he thought himself mediocre as an intellect, yet he stands as an example of how some of the greatest discoveries are made—not by sheer genius but by enthusiastic persistence.

“If we can’t explain how an athlete, musician, or anyone else has done something jaw-droppingly amazing, we’re inclined to throw up our hands and say, ‘It’s a gift! Nobody can teach you that.’ In other words, when we can’t easily see how experience and training got someone to a level of excellence that is so clearly beyond the norm, we default to labeling that person a ‘natural.’” 

Effort often goes unseen—it’s done mostly in private—and when it pays off, people only see the success and conclude that the achievement is due to a mysterious, innate thing called “talent.” Most people have trouble realizing how much can be achieved through consistent effort.

“If I have the math approximately right, then someone twice as talented but half as hardworking as another person might reach the same level of skill but still produce dramatically less over time. This is because as strivers are improving in skill, they are also employing that skill—to make pots, write books, direct movies, give concerts. If the quality and quantity of those pots, books, movies, and concerts are what count, then the striver who equals the person who is a natural in skill by working harder will, in the long run, accomplish more.”

Success isn’t just about being good at something; it’s also about producing useful outcomes. Persistence pays off, not only in increased skill levels but also in increased production. The daily efforts we make give us both mastery and productivity.

“Grit has two components: passion and perseverance.” 

An abiding love for a project provides the energy to return to that project day in and day out. The habit of persistence builds skills and improves satisfaction. Thus, passion and perseverance feed each other and lead to consistent performance.

“What I mean by passion is not just that you have something you care about. What I mean is that you care about that same ultimate goal in an abiding, loyal, steady way. You are not capricious. Each day, you wake up thinking of the questions you fell asleep thinking about. You are, in a sense, pointing in the same direction, ever eager to take even the smallest step forward than to take a step to the side, toward some other destination. At the extreme, one might call your focus obsessive. Most of your actions derive their significance from their allegiance to your ultimate concern, your life philosophy. You have your priorities in order.” 

Passion isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a consistent love of the quest, an organizing principle that informs everything in a person’s life. Passion differs from obsession: It’s not an escape from anxiety but an overarching, positive view of one’s purpose.

“Any successful person has to decide what to do in part by deciding what not to do.” 

Goals are important, but too many at once can cause conflicts. To choose a very small set of goals and set aside the rest can be a tough process, but it will add energy and focus to the most important tasks, which greatly increases the odds of success.

“After running a nonprofit, then pursuing neuroscience research, then management consulting, then teaching, I learned that being a ‘promising beginner’ is fun, but being an actual expert is infinitely more gratifying. I also learned that years of hard work are often mistaken for innate talent, and that passion is as necessary as perseverance to world-class excellence.” 

Duckworth learned from experience that persistence, rather than jumping from one career to another, generates better results and more satisfaction. A gritty attitude, rather than an indulgent one, will lead to real success.

“To the thirty-something on Reddit with a ‘fleeting interest in everything’ and ‘no career direction,’ here’s what science has to say: passion for your work is a little bit of discovery, followed by a lot of development, and then a lifetime of deepening.” 

Passionate careers don’t start all at once. Often they begin with a glimmer of interest that transforms into an absorbing project, which morphs into an ongoing journey of fascination. To find a passionate career, Duckworth advises professionals to list activities they enjoy as well as those they hate, then to try things related to the engaging interests. Guessing and correcting course are part of the process of kindling a passion for work. This process corresponds to the stages of skill development, namely interest (discovery), practice (development), and purpose and hope (deepening).

“At the start of an endeavor, we need encouragement and freedom to figure out what we enjoy. We need small wins. We need applause. Yes, we can handle a tincture of criticism and corrective feedback. Yes, we need to practice. But not too much and not too soon. Rush a beginner and you’ll bludgeon their budding interest. It’s very, very hard to get that back once you do.”

A passionate interest often begins as a fragile fragment of curiosity; if stepped on or tugged too soon, it will never grow into a great and solid life pursuit. Parents and teachers should encourage students’ desires to explore subjects, but they must not force participation or otherwise bend enthusiasm to a specific purpose before it has grown on its own into a consuming project.

“As of now, there isn’t enough research to say whether deliberate practice can be experienced as effortless flow. My guess is that deliberate practice can be deeply gratifying, but in a different way than flow. In other words, there are different kinds of positive experience: the thrill of getting better is one, and the ecstasy of performing at your best is another.” 

Flow is the feeling of effortless performance, while deliberate practice involves focused striving toward improving specific skills. The emotions involved are different, and though flow is much desired, the hard-won joys of practice can be well worth the sustained effort.

“Sometimes it’s very particular (‘my children,’ ‘my clients,’ ‘my students’) and sometimes quite abstract (‘this country,’ ‘the sport,’ ‘science,’ ‘society’). However they say it, the message is the same: 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.” 

With enough time, a practice becomes productive, and the practitioner grows increasingly dedicated to performing that skill usefully for others. Duckworth terms this purpose, the third step in the process of cultivating a skill. Because it instills a sense of purpose, the satisfaction of helping people can become the dominant reward people receive from their expertise.

“Some of us care about purpose much more than we care about pleasure, and vice versa.” 

Interest in an activity provides pleasure, while using that activity for the purpose of helping others provides a different satisfaction. Both help sustain a practice, but grittier people often are motivated more by purpose than pleasure.

“Three bricklayers are asked: ‘What are you doing?’ The first says, ‘I am laying bricks.’ The second says, ‘I am building a church.’ And the third says, ‘I am building the house of God.’ The first bricklayer has a job. The second has a career. The third has a calling.” 

This excerpt concisely illustrates the difference between a job, a career, and a calling, meaning a life purpose that serves others. A sense of purpose can transcend one’s neighborhood and embrace the world. It’s inspiring to believe that a purpose will help everyone. The idea that productive work spreads outward to affect the world can inspire more and grittier efforts.

“Gradually, I became more and more aware that I was very good at going into new environments and helping people realize they’re capable of more than they know. I was discovering that this was my thing. And I started to realize that if I could help people—individuals—do that, then I could help teams. If I could help teams, I could help companies. If I could help companies, I could help brands. If I could help brands, I could help communities and countries.” 

Kat Cole explains how she turned a job at Hooters into a calling in the global food-service sector. In training others Kat searches for their greatness and works to bring it out. Her example demonstrates how grit can help a person transform a job into a higher purpose.

“[I]t isn’t suffering that leads to hopelessness. It’s suffering you think you can’t control.” 

Much of success depends on the willingness to find ways around obstacles, but if someone believes there are no options, that person will give up.

“The reality is that most people have an inner fixed-mindset pessimist in them right alongside their inner growth-mindset optimist.”

A growth mindset is ideal, but fears and impatience can pull us back toward a fixed mindset. When others’ behavior falls below our standards, we might be tempted to scold them, but this won’t improve the situation, whereas encouraging them to improve can reap benefits.

“It’s a common misunderstanding to think of ‘tough love’ as a carefully struck balance between affection and respect on the one hand, and firmly enforced expectations on the other. In actuality, there’s no reason you can’t do both.” 

Children respond well to parents who care enough to establish limits, but they also need to know they are loved and supported. Toughness sets boundaries, and love provides support.

“Regardless of gender, ethnicity, social class, or parents’ marital status, teens with warm, respectful, and demanding parents earned higher grades in school, were more self-reliant, suffered from less anxiety and depression, and were less likely to engage in delinquent behavior.”

Neglectful, permissive, and authoritarian parents omit one or both of the chief characteristics of good parenting that children need, namely, support and demanding standards. Providing both is the mark of wise parenting.

“School’s hard, but for many kids it’s not intrinsically interesting. Texting your friends is interesting, but it’s not hard. But ballet? Ballet can be both.” 

Dance, sports, music lessons, chess club, and other after-school activities provide both fun and challenges. This combination helps kids develop the kind of gritty persistence that will help them pursue and achieve their future goals.

“I will tell you that we’re looking for great competitors. That’s really where it starts. And that’s the guys that really have grit. The mindset that they’re always going to succeed, that they’ve got something to prove. They’re resilient, they’re not going to let setbacks hold them back. They’re not going to be deterred, you know, by challenges and hurdles and things. […] It’s that attitude—we really refer to it as grit.”

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, after winning Super Bowl XLVIII, explained that grit is one of the most important traits he wants to see in his players. He credits grit as the chief factor in his team’s championship. People conform to the culture of the group they belong to, and the Seahawks’ culture of grit evokes gritty success from its players.