Angela Duckworth

Angela Duckworth

CEO, Character Lab

Angela Duckworth is a psychologist renowned for her research on grit and perseverance in achieving long-term goals, emphasizing the importance of character in education.

Expertise

Psychology Character Education Grit

Articles featuring Angela Duckworth

11 articles
Featured Analysis

The Permission to Be Ordinary: In a Culture Obsessed With Exceptionalism, Is There Still Space to Live a Quiet Life?

Social media turns everyone's achievements into a highlight reel, hustle culture makes rest feel like failure, and somewhere along the way ordinary became something to apologize for. Brené Brown, Cal Newport, and Angela Duckworth debate whether there's still room in modern life to live quietly — and whether that's even something worth defending.

Jul 15, 2026
Featured Analysis

The Mythology of the Fresh Start: Do New Beginnings Actually Change Us — or Do We Just Carry Ourselves Into New Circumstances?

Every January, millions of people declare a fresh start — but research keeps suggesting we mostly just carry ourselves into new circumstances. James Clear, Angela Duckworth, and Dan Heath debate whether new beginnings actually change us, or whether real transformation requires something deeper than a reset.

Jul 06, 2026
Featured Analysis

The New Illiteracy: Is Emotional Intelligence the Skill We Stopped Teaching the Moment We Needed It Most?

Schools have gotten better at teaching students to code, test, and compete — but emotional intelligence, the skill that determines how people handle stress, relationships, and leadership, barely makes the curriculum. Daniel Goleman, Angela Duckworth, and Marc Brackett debate whether we stopped teaching it exactly when we needed it most.

Jul 03, 2026
Featured Analysis

The Currency of Time: Why Do the Wealthiest People Complain About Being the Busiest?

They could pay someone else to do almost anything — and yet wealthy people are constantly the ones complaining they have no time. Tim Ferriss, Cal Newport, and Angela Duckworth examine why money hasn't bought the wealthiest people freedom from busyness, and what's actually driving the compulsion to stay overcommitted.

Jun 30, 2026
Featured Analysis

The Politics of Comfort: Has the Pursuit of Convenience Made Us a Weaker Species?

Everything is one click away — groceries, entertainment, even human connection. Cal Newport, Angela Duckworth, and David Brooks debate whether our relentless pursuit of convenience is quietly eroding resilience, creativity, and community, or just a natural and harmless byproduct of progress.

Jun 26, 2026
Featured Analysis

The Quiet Death of Mastery: Are We Becoming a Society of Dabblers Instead of Experts?

YouTube tutorials, online courses, and infinite information have made starting something new easier than ever — but are we becoming a society that samples everything and masters nothing? Cal Newport, Malcolm Gladwell, and Angela Duckworth examine what we lose when dabbling replaces deep, sustained expertise.

Jun 24, 2026
Featured Analysis

The Myth of the Self-Made Person: Does Anyone Actually Build Success Alone?

We love the story of the person who built it all from nothing — but does that story actually hold up? Angela Duckworth, Malcolm Gladwell, and David Brooks examine the myth of the self-made individual, and what it costs us to ignore the mentors, communities, and lucky breaks behind every success story.

Jun 19, 2026
Featured Analysis

The Future of Education: Are Schools Preparing Students for the World, or for a World That No Longer Exists?

As classrooms cling to 20th-century models, experts debate whether traditional education is equipping the next generation — or leaving them behind.

May 27, 2026
Featured Analysis

Is Meritocracy Still Real?

FEATURED ANALYSIS Is Meritocracy Still Real? Can meritocracy genuinely coexist with inequality, or has privilege overshadowed talent? The concept of m...

Mar 02, 2026
Textuno's Take

The Case Against Meritocracy

TEXTUNO'S TAKE The Case Against Meritocracy Meritocracy, an ideal built on the principles of hard work and talent, faces mounting evidence that it may...

Mar 02, 2026
Deep Dives

Unpacking the Meritocracy Debate

DEEP DIVE Unpacking the Meritocracy Debate The ongoing discourse surrounding meritocracy raises critical questions about social equity and mobility. A...

Mar 02, 2026