Passion for your work is a little bit of discovery… but that’s just the very beginning. It’s a powerful reminder that passion isn’t a lightning bolt; it’s a slow, deliberate burn that you build over a lifetime.
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Meaning
The core message is that passion isn’t found fully-formed; it’s constructed through a process that starts small and deepens forever.
Explanation
Look, so many people get this wrong. They think passion is this magical thing you just stumble upon, like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old jacket. And that initial spark, that “discovery” phase? It’s real, but it’s tiny. It’s the easy part. The real work, the part that separates the truly gritty from the rest, is the development. That’s the unsexy, day-in, day-out practice, the honing of your craft, the boring stuff no one sees. And then, if you stick with it, that’s when the magic happens—it becomes a part of you. A lifetime of deepening. It stops being something you *do* and starts being who you *are*.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Career (192) |
| Topics | career general (7), growth (413), passion (22) |
| Literary Style | insightful (43), reflective (255) |
| Emotion / Mood | hopeful (357), provocative (175) |
| Overall Quote Score | 83 (302) |
Origin & Factcheck
This is straight from Angela Duckworth’s 2016 book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, which really put these concepts on the map. You sometimes see this idea paraphrased all over the place, but the specific phrasing is hers, born from her research in the United States on what drives high achievers.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr Angela Duckworth (58) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (58) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Angela Duckworth is a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor and MacArthur Fellow whose research focuses on grit, self-control, and achievement. She taught middle school before earning her PhD at Penn and later founded Character Lab to advance the science of character development. Her bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance has shaped thinking in education and performance science. She co-hosts No Stupid Questions on the Freakonomics network. If you’re browsing the Angela Duckworth book list, you’ll find practical, research-backed guidance for cultivating passion and perseverance.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | Passion for your work is a little bit of discovery, followed by a lot of development, and then a lifetime of deepening |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2016; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 978-1501111105; Last edition: Scribner 2016; Number of pages: 352 |
| Where is it? | Chapter 5: Grit Grows, page 103 (2016 Edition) |