One of my goals in life so far is to have all my grades above 95%, until I graduate. It has been my long-term goal since fifth grade. Now as a freshman, I am still determined and keeping it up. I wouldn’t let go of any chances to bring up my grades. I always tighten with insecurity when there is the possibility that my grade is dropping. I know I am a gritty student who doesn’t seem beaten down. However, I always felt burned out and stressed whenever tests, projects, and homework came my way. This is the harm of too much grit, no sarcasm intended. As Caroline Adams Miller, the author of the book Getting Grit, confirmed we can have too much grit and that is called stupid grit or stubbornness. I know that grit leads to success, but it is not everything. Now it leads to our first question, what is grit?  Next, how does grit lead to stubbornness? Then, how do we know when to quit?  Lastly, the arguments of whether quitting is a sign of weakness.  

First, let’s start with the definition of grit and the benefits of it. A 2016 article published, on the Michigan State University website, titled “What does it mean to have grit?” by Beverly Przystas, Michigan State University Extension defined it as “A person with true grit has passion and perseverance. Goals are set and followed through.” As it has been said, people with grit can obtain and follow through on long-term goals with perseverance. Not only can they achieve their goals, but feel passionate about it at the same time. Angela Duckworth, a New York Times bestseller, and author of the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, confirmed the greatness of grit when answering a question on her website, Angela Duckworth, “grit predicts achievement in really challenging and personally meaningful contexts. Graduating from high school or college rather than dropping out is one example.” Sticking with long-term goals forms worthy habits that depend less on inspiration and motivation. Most likely these habits will stick, even if we achieve our long-term goals, another benefit of grit. But there are problems with grit; too much grit could lead people to stubbornness rather than anything helpful.

The next question that needs to be answered is; how can something so amazing that helps people become achievers be harmful? Well, having too much grit is like having too many vegetables; having too much can cause potential damage to the body. This wouldn’t be grit anymore, this would be called stubbornness or stupid grit. Caroline Adams Miller defined stupid grit in the article, “How to Know When Achieving Goals Turns from Grit into Just Plain Stupid,” published on her website, Caroline Adams Miller in 2017, as “the obstinate pursuit of a long-term goal that presents more negatives than positives because circumstances have changed.” The big difference between grit and stupid grit is that grit succeeds because positive factors lead toward a result. Stupid grit could be a student continuously playing basketball, even if that student gets serious injuries, and most importantly, the student’s passion fades away. This is an example of stupid grit, it will lead people to burnout and stress. Making decisions about quitting is tough because we don’t want regrets. But some signs could help us define the time to step down.

Most people don’t know when it is time to quit. We might see the benefits, but it’s difficult to know if quitting is the thing to do. Some signs can tell us that it is time. Three signs have been stated in the article “3 Signs You Should Quit Your Job,” by Nathaniel Koloc, the co-founder at ReWork, on the website The Muse, updated on March 3, 2024, are, “It isn’t sustainable, it isn’t furthering professional development, and something way better comes along.” Though the article's purpose is to quit jobs, we can still apply to anything. When doing something that causes constant drainage in energy, it might not be sustainable at the moment. If doing something that doesn’t help us become a better self, why not quit? Then find something else that helps in improvements and learning. If there is a better option, choosing the better option will not harm anyone. Staying in the current one can cause more regrets than selecting the better one. Listing out the pros and cons of quitting, then passing the checklist: is it sustainable, is it furthering my professional development, and are there better options? These steps can help decide if it’s the right choice. Sometimes we know when to quit but don’t take the chance, why?

It is due to the society that we live in developing a biased thought of quitting as a sign of weakness. But that is not the truth. The article titled, “When to Quit,” published on the University of Washington website noted that, “in our society, we predominantly get the message that people who persevere are better than those who quit, but that is only one perspective and not always true.” Quitting is strongly associated with weakness, failure, and lack of characteristics. But other than societal bias, there are different factors, such as time and investments. The amount of investments we put into something can be the biggest factor stopping us from quitting. That is because we fear all those investments will end up in waste. But the truth is, wasting investment and time on something that doesn’t have much value anymore is just stupid grit. A Harvard Business Review article titled, “When to Stick with Something — and When to Quit,” by André Spicer, the executive dean of Bayes Business School and professor of Organisational Behavior, updated in 2018, agreed, “Remaining fixated on long cherished goals can also mean people ignore better alternatives.” Quitting is not weak, but the opposite. It is the strength in people to walk away from something and start something new. It is getting ourselves into a new adventure. The biased thoughts that our society has developed around quitting, just increase stubbornness.

In the end, quitting is weak. But quitting and giving up is different. To quit is to step away and find choices. Giving up means throwing away the whole alternative way, too. It is undeniable that grit is great with a limitation. If too much grit gets involved, it will lead straight into stubborn grit. Stubborn grits can cause more harm than beneficial results. However, there are signs and ways to help define the decision to quit. Even if we know that quitting is right, we still don’t do it, because of bias and the hidden truth about quitting. Because of the bias, we all have underrated the value of quitting. This means I need to develop the skills of letting go of my grades when they drop below 95%. Recently, I stepped down from my long-term goal of not allowing my grades to drop. I found the results and life better. I feel more relaxed and mentally healthier. Relaxation and mental health are far more important for reaching success. Grit is not everything, finding the balance between grit and quitting is critical. Never underestimate the value of quitting, it might be the one solution that we all need in our lives.