Angela Duckworth

Angela Duckworth is an American psychologist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the Character Lab, best known for her research on "grit" — the combination of passion and perseverance that predicts achievement. Her bestselling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance has been translated into more than forty languages.

Duckworth taught math in New York public schools before earning her doctorate from Penn, and won a MacArthur "genius" Fellowship for her work. Her research and writing on hard work, self-discipline and "the arduous zone of stretch" have influenced education policy, Silicon Valley and sports, and remain central to debates in psychology about what truly predicts success.