The Little Book Of Grit

Quotes from leaders across the military branches on leadership and grit guaranteed to inspire and encourage your own journey of grit!

“A useful guide for parents or teachers looking for confirmation that passion and persistence matter, and for inspiring models of how to cultivate these important qualities.” —The Washington Post In this young readers edition of the instant New York Times bestseller Grit, MacArthur Genius Award–winning professor Angela Duckworth offers insights into who succeeds in life and why the secret to achievement a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” The daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius,” Angela Duckworth is now a celebrated researcher and professor. It was her early eye-opening stints in teaching and neuroscience that led to her hypothesis about what really drives success: not genius, but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. In Grit: Passion, Perseverance, and the Science of Success Duckworth shows young people how they can achieve remarkable things not just by relying on natural talent but by practicing a unique form of focused persistence. She also teaches them how to be better at pursuing the small goals that will bring joy into their everyday life. Drawing on her powerful personal story, Duckworth describes how a youth spent smashing through every academic barrier resulted in the hypothesis that the real predictor of success may not be inborn “talent” but a special blend of resilience and single-mindedness. Through her descriptions of field research at venues as various as the National Spelling Bee (where students who score highest on the “Grit Scale” land in the final rounds) to work with Pete Carroll coach of the Seattle Seahawks, who was building the grittiest culture in the NFL, Duckworth shows how “grit” works in the real world. She also passes along insights gleaned from interviews with dozens of high achievers including the New York Times Crossword Editor, the Dean of Admissions at Harvard, and more.

A manual for building a faster brain and a better you! The Little Book of Talent is an easy-to-use handbook of scientifically proven, field-tested methods to improve skills—your skills, your kids’ skills, your organization’s skills—in sports, music, art, math, and business. The product of five years of reporting from the world’s greatest talent hotbeds and interviews with successful master coaches, it distills the daunting complexity of skill development into 52 clear, concise directives. Whether you’re age 10 or 100, whether you’re on the sports field or the stage, in the classroom or the corner office, this is an essential guide for anyone who ever asked, “How do I get better?” Praise for The Little Book of Talent “The Little Book of Talent should be given to every graduate at commencement, every new parent in a delivery room, every executive on the first day of work. It is a guidebook—beautiful in its simplicity and backed by hard science—for nurturing excellence.”—Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit “It’s so juvenile to throw around hyperbolic terms such as ‘life-changing,’ but there’s no other way to describe The Little Book of Talent. I was avidly trying new things within the first half hour of reading it and haven’t stopped since. Brilliant. And yes: life-changing.”—Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of Excellence

From Grammy-Award winning music superstar and actor Tim McGraw comes a one-of-a kind lifestyle book that melds his personal fitness transformation story with practical advice to inspire healthy changes in readers’ lives. Tim McGraw is as well-known for his unparalleled accomplishments in the entertainment industry as he is for his boundless energy—he is the embodiment of vitality and success. But only a decade ago, he found himself struggling with his health. The demands of his meteoric career and life on the road had taken a toll. McGraw came to a crossroads where knew that unless he made his physical health a priority, he would put his personal happiness and professional success at risk. In Grit & Grace, McGraw shares his transformation story along with encouragement, inspiration, and real-life, practical advice to help readers become healthy, strong and fit in mind and body. For the first time, McGraw will share the details of the mental and physical routine that got him in the best shape of his life. He suggests that there is no magic formula to getting stronger and healthier: it is about making a commitment to do and be better, and holding yourself accountable each day. McGraw didn’t follow a playbook or have a squad of trainers overseeing his every step. He describes his way of getting into shape as more "maverick"--tuning into a vision of what you personally want to achieve, staying focused, and putting in the work. McGraw says his physical transformation has ignited a whole-life transformation. "My mind is clearer, my sense of purpose is sharper, and my relationships are deeper. Consistent physical exercise helps me bring focus to my life and to the people who mean the most to me." In Grit & Grace, McGraw makes this transformation accessible to anyone, sharing with readers the physical and mental tools they can use to create the life they deserve.

The #1 New York Times bestselling classic frontier adventure novel that inspired two award-winning films! Charles Portis has long been acclaimed as one of America’s foremost writers. True Grit, his most famous novel, was first published in 1968, and became the basis for two movies, the 1969 classic starring John Wayne and, in 2010, a new version starring Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges and written and directed by the Coen brothers. True Grit tells the story of Mattie Ross, who is just fourteen when the coward Tom Chaney shoots her father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robs him of his life, his horse, and $150 in cash. Mattie leaves home to avenge her father’s blood. With one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, the meanest available U.S. Marshal, by her side, Mattie pursues the killer into Indian Territory. True Grit is eccentric, cool, straight, and unflinching, like Mattie herself. From a writer of true status, this is an American classic through and through.

"A sumptuous, beautiful collection of cyborgs, sushi, and monsters–this book is a feast for the eyes and a phosphorescent display of creativity. Other than watching an octopus make love to a rainbow, I can’t think of anything I’d rather stare at than this book." – Matthew Inman, creator of The Oatmeal It's adorable, explosive and has more chibis than an Akibahara game store. Welcome to the whimsical world of Cute Grit, the digitally rendered pop art debut by video game developer and artist Enfu. Comprised of over 1,000 illustrations, this fantastical collection explores the intersections between video games, art and the Asian American experience through the lens of Enfu's wild, east-meets-west style. Re-discover your favorite game villains, cartoon characters, icons and cityscapes in a digital universe where Enfu unites the loveable, the warped, and the fantastic in a world both foreign and familiar, sweet and surly, gritty and cute. Ken "Enfu" Taya enjoys his day job in the video game industry as a developer for titles such as Halo 3 (XBO 360) and Scribblenauts Unmasked (WiiU, PC, 3DS). His commissioned illustrations and murals can be seen in stores and restaurants across the Pacific Northwest, and his popular bilingual comic, I Fart Rainbow, enjoys success in print and digital media outlets. Other Enfu collaborative projects include Enfu Snaps hats, Bombsheller leggings, and customized t-shirts. His first indie game, Matchfu, is set to release in late 2014. Ken Taya lives in Bellevue, Washington, with his wife and daughter.

In this instant New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” “Inspiration for non-geniuses everywhere” (People). The daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius,” Angela Duckworth is now a celebrated researcher and professor. It was her early eye-opening stints in teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience that led to her hypothesis about what really drives success: not genius, but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. In Grit, she takes us into the field to visit cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, teachers working in some of the toughest schools, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers—from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. “Duckworth’s ideas about the cultivation of tenacity have clearly changed some lives for the better” (The New York Times Book Review). Among Grit’s most valuable insights: any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal; grit can be learned, regardless of IQ or circumstances; when it comes to child-rearing, neither a warm embrace nor high standards will work by themselves; how to trigger lifelong interest; the magic of the Hard Thing Rule; and so much more. Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that—not talent or luck—makes all the difference. This is “a fascinating tour of the psychological research on success” (The Wall Street Journal).