Grit

by

Angela Duckworth

MacArthur “Genius Grant” Term Analysis

MacArthur Fellowships, commonly known as “Genius Grants,” are yearly $625,000 prizes given to around 20 to 30 distinguished researchers, artists, or thinkers in any field. Angela Duckworth and Ta-Nehisi Coates have both received “Genius Grants.”

MacArthur “Genius Grant” Quotes in Grit

The Grit quotes below are all either spoken by MacArthur “Genius Grant” or refer to MacArthur “Genius Grant”. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Passion, Perseverance, and Success Theme Icon
).
Preface Quotes

There was about a month between the MacArthur call and its official announcement. Apart from my husband, I wasn’t permitted to tell anyone. That gave me time to ponder the irony of the situation. A girl who is told repeatedly that she’s no genius ends up winning an award for being one. The award goes to her because she has discovered that what we eventually accomplish may depend more on our passion and perseverance than on our innate talent. She has by then amassed degrees from some pretty tough schools, but in the third grade, she didn’t test high enough for the gifted and talented program. Her parents are Chinese immigrants, but she didn’t get lectured on the salvation of hard work. Against stereotype, she can’t play a note of piano or violin.

Related Characters: Angela Duckworth (speaker), Duckworth’s Father
Related Symbols: Genius
Page Number: x
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13: Conclusion Quotes

“Failure is probably the most important factor in all of my work. Writing is failure. Over and over and over again.”

Related Characters: Ta-Nehisi Coates (speaker)
Page Number: 276
Explanation and Analysis:
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MacArthur “Genius Grant” Term Timeline in Grit

The timeline below shows where the term MacArthur “Genius Grant” appears in Grit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Preface
Passion, Perseverance, and Success Theme Icon
Developing Grit Theme Icon
Psychology and Human Development Theme Icon
Grit and Society Theme Icon
...because she didn’t have enough inborn talent. Ironically enough, she went on to win a MacArthur “Genius Grant ” for her psychology research—which was about how passion and perseverance (but not inherent talent)... (full context)
Chapter 13: Conclusion
Passion, Perseverance, and Success Theme Icon
Finally, Duckworth describes how writer Ta-Nehisi Coates just won a MacArthur “Genius Grant. ” But once, he was a struggling, unemployed journalist. Coates says that failure is the... (full context)