Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

anything
as interesting as the psychology of achievement? Could there be
anything
more important?”
He chuckled. “You know,” he said, “I absolutely love what I do, too. It’s amazing to me how many
people I know who’re well into their forties and haven’t really committed to anything. They don’t
know what they’re missing.”
One final thought.
Earlier this year, the latest MacArthur genius awards were announced. One of the winners was Ta-
Nehisi Coates, the journalist whose second book, 
Between the World and Me
, has been an
extraordinary best seller.
Eight years ago, Coates was unemployed, recently laid off by 
Time
magazine, and scrambling to
get freelance work. It was a hard time. He guesses he gained thirty pounds from the strain. “I knew

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what kind of writer I wanted to be. I was not becoming that kind of writer. I was banging my head
against a wall and nothing was coming out.”
His wife, he says, was “unerringly supportive.” Still, they had a young son. There were practical
realities. “I was considering driving a cab.”
He finally got back on his feet, and after pushing through the “extraordinary stress” of his book, he
began to hit his stride. “The writing was very, very different. The sentences had much more power.”
In his three-minute video posted on the MacArthur website, the first thing Coates says is: “Failure
is probably the most important factor in all of my work. Writing 
is
failure. Over and over and over
again.” Then he explains, that as a boy, he was insatiably curious. Growing up in Baltimore, he was
particularly obsessed with the idea of physical safety, and the lack thereof, and has remained so since.
Journalism, he says, lets him keep asking the questions that interest him.
Toward the end of the video, Coates offers the best description of what it’s like to write that I’ve
ever heard. To give you a sense of his intonation, and the cadence, I’ve laid out the words as 
I
heard
them—as a poem:
The challenge of writing
Is to see your horribleness on page.
To see your terribleness
And then to go to bed.
And wake up the next day,
And take that horribleness and that terribleness,
And refine it,
And make it not so terrible and not so horrible.
And then to go to bed again.
And come the next day,
And refine it a little bit more,
And make it not so bad.
And then to go to bed the next day.
And do it again,
And make it maybe average.
And then one more time,
If you’re lucky,
Maybe you get to good.
And if you’ve done that,
That’s a success.
You might think Coates is especially modest. He 
is
. But he’s also especially gritty. And I’ve yet to
meet a MacArthur Fellow, Nobel laureate, or Olympic champion who says that what they achieved
came in any other way.
“You’re no genius,” my dad used to say when I was just a little girl. I realize now he was talking to
himself as much as he was talking to me.
If you define genius as being able to accomplish great things in life without effort, then he was
right: I’m no genius, and neither is he.
But if, instead, you define genius as working toward excellence, ceaselessly, with every element of
your being—then, in fact, my dad 
is
a genius, and so am I, and so is Coates, and, if you’re willing, so
are you.

---

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When I pick up a book for the first time, I immediately flip to the Acknowledgments. Like many
readers, I’m eager to peek behind the curtain; I want to meet the cast and crew responsible for the
show. Writing my own book has only deepened my appreciation for the team effort that any work
represents. If you like this book, please know that credit for its creation is shared among the
wonderful human beings recognized here. It’s time for these many supporters to step out into the
footlights for a moment and take a well-deserved bow. If I’ve left anyone in the wings, I apologize;
any omissions are inadvertent.
First and foremost, I want to thank my collaborators. I wrote this book in the first-person singular,
using “I” when, in fact, pretty much everything I’ve done as a researcher or writer was accomplished
by a plurality. The “we” who deserve credit—in particular coauthors on published research—are
named individually in the Notes. On their behalf, I extend a heartfelt thanks to our research teams
who, collectively, made this research possible.
As for the book itself, I have three individuals to thank in particular: First and foremost, I am
eternally grateful to my editor, Rick Horgan, who improved my writing and thinking more than I
thought was possible. If I’m lucky, he’ll let me work with him again (and again). Max Nesterak was
my day-to-day editor, research assistant, and conscience. Put simply, were it not for Max, this book
would not be in your hands today. And, finally, my fairy godfather and agent, Richard Pine, is the
person who originally, and finally, made this book a reality. Eight years ago, Richard wrote me an
email asking, “Has anyone ever told you that you ought to write a book?” I demurred. Gritty and
gallant, he kept asking, but never pushing, until I was ready. Thank you, Richard, for everything.
The following scholars were kind enough to review drafts of this book, discuss their relevant
work, or both—of course, any errors that remain are mine: Elena Bodrova, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi,
Dan Chambliss, Jean Côté, Sidney D’Mello, Bill Damon, Nancy Darling, Carol Dweck, Bob
Eisenberger, Anders Ericsson, Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, Ronald Ferguson, James Flynn, Brian Galla,
Margo Gardner, Adam Grant, James Gross, Tim Hatton, Jerry Kagan, Scott Barry Kaufman, Dennis
Kelly, Emilia Lahti, Reed Larson, Luc Leger, Deborah Leong, Susan Mackie, Steve Maier, Mike
Matthews, Darrin McMahon, Barbara Mellers, Cal Newport, Gabrielle Oettingen, Daeun Park, Pat
Quinn, Ann Renninger, Brent Roberts, Todd Rogers, James Rounds, Barry Schwartz, Marty Seligman,
Paul Silvia, Larry Steinberg, Rong Su, Phil Tetlock, Chia-Jung Tsay, Eli Tsukayama, Elliot Tucker-
Drob, George Vaillant, Rachel White, Dan Willingham, Warren Willingham, Amy Wrzesniewski, and
David Yeager.
I was shocked, and so deeply moved, that the following individuals were willing to share their
stories for this book; even when I wasn’t able to include details in the book itself, their perspectives
deepened my understanding of grit and its development: Hemalatha Annamalai, Kayvon Asemani,
Michael Baime, Jo Barsh, Mark Bennett, Jackie Bezos, Juliet Blake, Geoffrey Canada, Pete Carroll,
Robert Caslen, Ulrik Christensen, Kerry Close, Roxanne Coady, Kat Cole, Cody Coleman, Daryl
Davis, Joe de Sena, Tom Deierlein, Jamie Dimon, Anson Dorrance, Aurora Fonte, Franco Fonte, Bill
Fitzsimmons, Rowdy Gaines, Antonio Galloni, Bruce Gemmell, Jeffrey Gettleman, Jane Golden,

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Temple Grandin, Mike Hopkins, Rhonda Hughes, Michael Joyner, Noa Kageyama, Paige Kimble,
Sasha Kosanic, Hester Lacey, Emilia Lahti, Terry Laughlin, Joe Leader, Michael Lomax, David
Luong, Tobi Lütke, Warren MacKenzie, Willy MacMullen, Bob Mankoff, Alex Martinez, Francesca
Martinez, Tina Martinez, Duff McDonald, Bill McNabb, Bernie Noe, Valerie Rainford, Mads
Rasmussen, Anthony Seldon, Will Shortz, Chantel Smith, Are Traasdahl, Marc Vetri, Chris Wink, Grit
Young, Sherry Young, Steve Young, Sam Zell, and Kai Zhang.
Many friends and family members helped improve earlier drafts. For their invaluable comments, I
thank Steve Arnold, Ben Malcolmson, Erica Dewan, Feroz Dewan, Joe Duckworth, Jordan
Ellenberg, Ira Handler, Donald Kamentz, Annette Lee, Susan Lee, Dave Levin, Felicia Lewis, Alyssa
Matteucci, David Meketon, Evan Nesterak, Rick Nichols, Rebecca Nyquist, Tanya Schlam, Robert
Seyfarth, Naomi Shavin, Paul Solman, Danny Southwick, Sharon Parker, Dominic Randolph, Richard
Shell, Paolo Terni, Paul Tough, Amy Wax, and Rich Wilson.
The figures in this book are courtesy of Stephen Few. A world expert on data visualization,
Stephen is also the soul of generosity and patience.
I am immensely grateful for the unflagging support of so many outstanding individuals at Simon &
Schuster. The only hard thing about writing this book was the writing; everything else, these
remarkable folks made easy. In particular, I’d like to thank Nan Graham, whose optimism, energy, and
genuine affection for her authors have no parallel. Katie Monaghan and Brian Belfiglio masterfully
orchestrated a world-class publicity campaign, ensuring that this book would end up in your hands.
For masterful handling of this book’s production, I thank Carla Benton and her team. David Lamb,
you’re a total pro; your commitment to excellence at every stage of the editorial process made all the
difference. And, finally, for this book’s beautiful cover, I am grateful to Jaya Miceli.
Huge thanks to the world-class team at InkWell Management, including Eliza Rothstein, Lindsey
Blessing, and Alexis Hurley. You handle so much so well, and with utter grace and professionalism.
Like the grit paragons profiled in this book, I’ve benefited from especially supportive and
demanding teachers. Matthew Carr taught me to write and to love words. Kay Merseth reminded me,
at so many critical junctures, that each of us is the author of our own life story. Marty Seligman taught
me that the right question is at least as important as the right answer. The late Chris Peterson showed
me that a true teacher is one who puts students first. Sigal Barsade showed me, in innumerable ways,
what it means to be a professor and how to be a good one. Walter Mischel showed me that at its
apogee, science is an art. And Jim Heckman taught me that genuine curiosity is the best companion to
true grit.
I am deeply grateful to the institutions and individuals who have supported my research, including
the National Institute on Aging, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pinkerton Foundation, the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the KIPP Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the Spencer
Foundation, the Lone Pine Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the Richard King Mellon
Family Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation, Acco Brands, the Michigan
Retirement Research Center, the University of Pennsylvania, Melvyn and Carolyn Miller, Ariel Kor,
and Amy Abrams.
The board and staff of the Character Lab deserve special thanks because they are the past, present,
and most definitely the future of all I do.
And, finally, thank you to my family. Amanda and Lucy, your patience, good humor, and stories
made this book possible. Mom and Dad, you gave up everything for your children, and we love you
for that. Jason, you make me a better person every day—this book is for you.

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RECOMMENDED READING
Brooks, David.