Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth · 2016
"Grit — sustained passion and perseverance toward long-term goals — predicts achievement across domains (West Point cadets, spelling bee finalists, teachers, salespeople) independent of, and sometimes better than, raw talent, though Duckworth's own later statements scale back the size of the effect from her original framing."
Duckworth defines grit as the combination of sustained passion (consistent interest in a goal over years, not just an initial spark) and sustained perseverance (continuing effort despite setbacks, plateaus, and failure), and argues it's measurable via her 'Grit Scale' and predicts long-term achievement in ways that talent or IQ measures alone miss.
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Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
"People who hold a 'growth mindset' — believing ability can be developed through effort — tend to achieve more and handle setbacks better than those with a 'fixed mindset,' though later large-scale replications found the effect considerably smaller and more context-dependent than the book implies."