You know, when Angela Duckworth says “To learn something deeply, you have to fall in love with the process,” she’s hitting on a truth so many of us miss. We get so obsessed with the final outcome—the promotion, the finished product, the six-figure salary—that we forget the real magic happens in the daily grind. It’s about loving the *doing*, not just the *having done*.
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Meaning
The core message is simple but profound: deep, meaningful learning and mastery aren’t born from a desire for a trophy. They’re born from a genuine affection for the daily, often tedious, work itself.
Explanation
Let me break this down for you. Think about the last time you tried to master a skill. If you were only focused on the end goal—let’s say, playing a complex song on the guitar—the countless hours of practice felt like a chore, right? A means to an end. But if you fall in love with the *process*—the feel of the strings, the sound of a chord coming together, the small, incremental improvements each day—then the practice session itself becomes the reward. The result almost becomes a byproduct. It’s the difference between grinding and growing. The process is where the real transformation happens, where you build the resilience and the “grit” to push through the inevitable plateaus and failures.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Education (260) |
| Topics | discipline (252), learning (190), process (14) |
| Literary Style | educational (37), philosophical (434) |
| Emotion / Mood | gentle (183), reflective (382) |
| Overall Quote Score | 82 (297) |
Origin & Factcheck
This wisdom comes straight from Angela Duckworth’s 2016 book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. It’s a cornerstone of her research into what makes high achievers tick. You might sometimes see this idea paraphrased or attributed to other thinkers in the motivation space, but the specific phrasing and its central role in a psychological framework is Duckworth’s.
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 | To learn something deeply, you have to fall in love with the process, not the result |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2016; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 978-1501111105; Last edition: Scribner 2016; Number of pages: 352 |
| Where is it? | Chapter 7: Practice, page 137 (2016 Edition) |