Grit — perseverance and passion for long-term goals
Angela Duckworth discovered that Grit — perseverance and passion — predicts success better than talent. Learn how to measure and develop your own Grit.
Where does the concept of Grit come from?
Angela Duckworth, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania and a MacArthur Fellowship recipient (the so-called "genius grant"), asked a simple question: why do some people succeed while others — equally talented — do not?
Over several years, she studied West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee contestants, salespeople and teachers. The result was surprising: the best predictor of success in each of these groups was Grit — the combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals — not talent, IQ or family background.
She described her theory in the widely read book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (2016).
What exactly is Grit?
Grit has two components:
Perseverance of Effort
The ability to keep working despite failures, difficulties and weariness. Persevering people don't abandon their goals at the first setback.
Consistency of Interest
A stable, long-term focus on one passion or direction. People with high consistency of interest rarely change goals and "start over".
Duckworth noticed that talented people often have perseverance without consistency — they work hard but jump between goals. Others have consistency without perseverance — they love the idea but give up when things get hard. Full Grit requires both.
The Talent Paradox
Duckworth formulated two simple equations:
Talent × Effort = Skill
Skill × Effort = Achievement
Effort appears twice — talent counts only once. This means perseverance doubles its effect compared with talent.
People with moderate talent but high Grit regularly outperform those with high talent and low Grit.
How to develop Grit?
Duckworth points to four routes:
1. Find your passion
Don't "discover" a passion — develop it. Passion rarely appears out of nowhere; it is usually the result of years of experimenting and commitment.
2. Practise deliberately
It's not about "practice" on its own, but about deliberate practice — systematically working on your weak points, with feedback. A pianist who only practises what they can already play makes no progress.
3. Find a higher purpose
Research shows that Grit is higher in people who see their work as serving something bigger than themselves — a mission, a community, a family.
4. Cultivate hope
Not naive optimism, but scientific hope — the belief that effort and a change of strategy can change the outcome. This is what Carol Dweck calls a growth mindset.
Can Grit be measured?
Yes. Duckworth developed the Grit Scale (Grit-O) — a 12-item instrument that measures both dimensions of grit — and later its 8-item short form, the Grit-S (Short Grit Scale). Our test is based on the full 12-item version. The score is expressed on a 1–5 scale.
The average Grit score in the US population is around 3.8. Scores above 4.5 are typical of people in regular sports training, researchers and entrepreneurs.
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