Quit

Starred review from August 22, 2022
Duke follows up How to Decide with a fascinating look at the power of walking away from strategies and plans that aren’t working. There’s a pervasive cultural narrative that proposes a false dichotomy of “grit vs. quit,” she argues, but that oversimplified framing serves no one: “While grit can get you to stick to hard things that are worthwhile,” it can also mean staying with something when it’s time to stop. Duke breaks down why people get so hidebound, explaining how the “escalation of commitment” can lead people to double down when they’re losing. Finding the resolve to walk away from a project that overlaps with one’s identity is especially hard, she notes, as people often fear they’ll be judged “as being wrong, irrational, capricious, and prone to mistakes” if they abandon a goal or belief. She offers examples of people who were right to drop the rope when they did, including Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who recognized the risk continuing to compete posed to her health, and Stewart Butterfield, who walked away from developing the game Glitch to create Slack. Duke reassures readers that there’s nothing shameful about quitting: “Contrary to popular belief, winners quit a lot. That’s how they win.” This no-nonsense survey packs a punch.