Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

by Angela Duckworth

Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.

The “naturalness bias” is a hidden prejudice against those who’ve achieved what they have because they worked for it, and a hidden preference for those whom we think arrived at their place in life because they’re naturally talented. We may not admit to others this bias for naturals; we may not even admit it to ourselves. But the bias is evident in the choices we make.

Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them.