Grit Insights

The must-read analysis of the key insights from "Grit" by Angela Duckworth — presented by Athena.

Success Is a Matter of Grit, Not IQ, and You Can Get Gritty

As a public school teacher, Angela Duckworth, PhD, saw that her students’ success could not be predicted from intellect alone. Instead, the best performers displayed something she came to call grit: a combination of passion and perseverance. Duckworth, who holds two neuroscience degrees and worked as a consultant for McKinsey before becoming a teacher, decided to go back to school to research this important attribute — which she argues is the hallmark of success in every field and endeavor.

She studied everyone from West Point cadets to spelling bee contestants to people struggling with chronic illness, looking for clues to what leads some to rise up the ranks while others fall short of their goals. In Grit, she identifies the key ingredient to achieving long-term success — in school, at work, in personal relationships — based on her extensive research as well as interviews with a cast of notable achievers, including an NFL coach and the head of JPMorgan Chase.

Duckworth, named a McArthur “genius” for her work on grit, delivered a TED talk on the subject that’s been viewed 19 million times, and her book became an instant bestseller. Using a mix of science, field research, profiles and personal anecdotes, she hammers out a theory that grit is the fuel for success — and delivers advice and motivation for how to develop grit and use it to realize your life’s goals.