Wednesday, 19 November 2025 | Book Review
“Grit” by Angela Duckworth
Image supplied by Sylwia Dziuba
This book is an eye-opener for those still searching for what they want to do in life. But also for those struggling with imposter syndrome or follow-through.
Duckworth’s advice is priceless, especially for someone who has dipped their toes into many career paths and has trouble picking a single métier.
In hindsight, I wish I could have read this book when I was much younger – I could have avoided years of turmoil and uncertainty.
The overarching idea of the book is that it’s passion + perseverance — not intellect — that guarantees success and fulfilment in one’s chosen career.
Duckworth shows you how to start, develop and successfully go the distance with a task, project or entire career. It doesn’t just give you the tools to be resilient; it shows you what is happening behind the scenes – the mindset that’s required for success.
The book also dispels the myth or expectation that falling in love with a career should be sudden and swift. Often, it starts only with an interest.
A few gems that spoke to me:
“Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare”
“An expert has the accumulated knowledge and skill to see what, I, a beginner, cannot”
“Purpose — the intention to contribute to the well-being of others”
“Experts do it all over again, and again, and again. Until they have finally mastered what they set out to do. Until what was a struggle before is now fluent and flawless. Until conscious incompetence becomes unconscious competence”
“If you’ve been doing something you like for a few years and still don’t quite call it a passion, see if you can deepen your interests. Since novelty is what your brain craves, you’ll be tempted to move onto something new … However, if you want to stay engaged for more than a few years, you’ll need to find a way to enjoy the nuances that only a true aficionado can appreciate.”
This book is also recommended if you’re a parent as it contains a lot of evidence-based, practical and unpopular advice on how to help your children develop good character, grit and follow-through.
Overall, the book is very well researched and approaches the topic of grit from all angles. I highly recommend it!