A mix of perseverance and passion for long-term goals – basically, the ability to stick with something even when it’s tough or when progress is slow. A student with grit might set a goal to improve their grades or make the basketball team and keep practicing day after day, even after setbacks or failures. It’s like running a marathon instead of a sprint: gritty people pace themselves and keep going, fueled by the belief that effort will pay off. Psychologist Angela Duckworth popularized this term, finding that grit can often predict achievement better than talent alone, because no matter how naturally smart or skilled you are, you also need that never-give-up attitude to reach big goals.
Keywords: grit, perseverance, determination
