Grit | Angel Duckworth

Book Claw

Angela Duckworth

In this must-have book for anyone who wants to achieve the success, the psychologist Angela Duckworth demonstrates to parents, students, educators, athletes and entrepreneurs that the secret to incredible achievement is not talent, but a mix of passion and perseverance that she calls “grit” – the ability to persevere and produce results beyond sheer talent, luck or occasional setbacks.

Using her own story as the daughter of a scientist who was often told off for her lack of “genius,” Duckworth, now a renowned professor and researcher, describes the early revelations that led her to the hypothesis that it is not “genius” that truly leads to success, but a special combination of passion and perseverance.

In Grit, she cites the stories of cadets struggling through their first days at West Point Military Academy and teachers working in the most difficult schools in the United States to teach. She highlights fascinating concepts and insights from both history and the most modern experiments on high performance and, finally, shares with the reader what she learned from interviewing dozens of successful people in the most diverse fields: from the CEO of JP Morgan to a cartoonist for The New Yorker and a coach in the National Football League, among others.

Personal and inspiring, life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes on in people's minds during defeats and how that – not talent or luck – can make all the difference.

“Grit is a fascinating and compelling response to the false importance placed on IQ. Duckworth reminds us that it is character and perseverance that set the successful apart.” Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point

“Invaluable. In a world where access to knowledge is unprecedented, Grit describes the key characteristic of those who know how to take advantage of it.” Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy

“Incredibly fresh and original, Grit debunks the preconceptions about how far our potential can take us. Read it, buy it for your friends, and spread the message that there is hope: we can all shine.” Susan Cain, author of Quiet

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