Key points

Persistence matters, but blind grit can trap us in sunk costs and false meaning.

Optimal quitting reallocates energy to paths that scale and satisfy, and we should embrace it more often.

Always choose fulfillment over success: Relationships and authenticity outlast mastery and status.

Few traits are celebrated today as much as sheer persistence.

We demand it of ourselves as we grind toward the mythical 10,000 hours of mastery. We demand it of our children as they sit through years of standardized schooling that promise career paths their neighbors will envy . We praise athletes for “toughing it out" and entrepreneurs for “grinding harder than others” while we pat ourselves on the back when we “stick with the plan.”

Much of the time, persistence is every bit as valuable

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