57 Best Grit Quotes to Help You Stay Strong & Resilient 

Grit refers to an individual’s capacity for courage and resilience, and the grit quotes below are sure to inspire the courage and resilience within you when you need it most. 

The expression ‘grit your teeth’ originates from a common idiom that means maintaining determination through tough circumstances.

The term is often broken down into Five Characteristics of Grit, including:

• courage
• conscientiousness
• perseverance
• resilience
• passion

The most dazzling human achievements are, in fact, the aggregate of countless individual elements, each of which is, in a sense, ordinary.

― Angela Duckworth

Quotes reflecting on grit often come from diverse sources, including politicians, athletes, and writers. As any person can exemplify or experience grit, the question then arises: Is grit innate, or can it be cultivated?

At Resilient Stories, we believe grit, courage, strength, and resilience can be cultivated. 

Fortunately, there are methods to enhance one’s grit.

One fundamental approach is to engage with your passions and chase what genuinely interests you.

When aligned with a meaningful objective, confronting challenges becomes more manageable.

Regular practice may not lead to perfection, but it significantly boosts one’s grit and capacity to improve.

For additional strategies on developing grit, continue exploring the various inspiring grit quotes below! 

Angela Duckworth literally wrote the book on Grit (paid link), so you will see a lot of quotes from her!

The Best Grit Quotes

Here are some of the best quotes about grit from inspiring people you know. 

• “Sticking with a marriage. That’s true grit, man.” — Jeff Bridges
• “I like grit. I like love and death. I’m tired of irony.” — Jim Harrison
• “What does it take to be the first female anything? It takes grit, and it takes grace.” — Meryl Streep
• “Grit is having the courage to do the right thing, regardless of the popularity or consequences.” — Joan Hall

‘Grit Your Teeth’ Quotes to Make You Tougher

We’ve all heard the saying ‘grit your teeth,’ and these illustrate why it’s necessary to do it now and then. 

• “Grit your teeth and smile. In the face of adversity, go. They don’t deserve you.” — Christine Lagarde

• “I like things that make you grit your teeth. I like tucking my chin in and sort of leading into the storm. I like that feeling. I like it a lot.” — Daniel Day-Lewis
• “I have to grit my teeth sometimes, knowing I am going to be written about. But I think it is my life, and I don’t want to get people interested in debating it.” — Jonathan Dimbleby 
• “In order to obtain the goal of returning to Palestine, all of us sometimes have to grit our teeth.” — Yasser Arafat
• “Some people, you have to grit your teeth in order to stay in the same room as them, but you get on and ask the questions you assume most of the people watching want to ask.” — Morley Safer
• “You just have to stand and grit your teeth and know your poll numbers are going to go down–and mine have–but you gotta grit through it because the alternative is unacceptable.” — Chris Christie
• “I’ll grit my teeth in anxiety. I feel like a student before the start of school. I’ve got my new shoes and my book bag, but I’m not sure I’ll remember how to do trigonometry. During my maternity leave, I haven’t used many words of more than one syllable.” — Jane Pauley

Grit Quotes from Famous Figures 

• “In Wyoming, the beauty of our mountains is matched only by the grit of our people.” — Liz Cheney
• “As important as hustle is, grit and resilience are equally as important because there’s a lot of rejection in our business.” — Troy Carter
• “We’re going to be OK because of the American people. They have more grit, determination, and courage than you can imagine.” — Joe Biden
• “Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I’ll be right there with you as a citizen—inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped America travel so far.” — Barack Obama

What Grit Is and What It Means to Have It

• “Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” — Angela Duckworth
• “Heroes are never perfect, but they’re brave, they’re authentic, they’re courageous, determined, discreet, and they’ve got grit.” — Wade Davis
• “Grit is that ‘extra something’ that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality.” — Travis Bradberry
• “Grit, in a word, is stamina. But it’s not just stamina in your effort. It’s also stamina in your direction, stamina in your interests. If you are working on different things but all of them very hard, you’re not really going to get anywhere. You’ll never become an expert.” — Angela Duckworth
• “Grittier students are more likely to earn their diplomas; grittier teachers are more effective in the classroom. Grittier soldiers are more likely to complete their training, and grittier salespeople are more likely to keep their jobs. The more challenging the domain, the more grit seems to matter.” — Angela Duckworth

Profound Quotes About Grit

• “Over time, grit is what separates fruitful lives from aimlessness.” — John Ortberg

• “Grit can’t be measured on pop quizzes, but it can often predict long-term success more than mere intelligence.” — Laura Moser
• “It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes; it takes more grit and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.” — Jessamyn West
• “From a bit of grit may grow a pearl, and if pearl production doesn’t materialize, the outcome will still be preferable to the shallowness of vanity.” — Laurie Graham
• “Writing is such a ‘pretend’ profession. Nobody is counting on you at all. You can’t ‘pretend’ to be a lawyer or a teacher. It takes a lot of grit to continue.” — MacKenzie Scott

Quotes on Hard Work and Perseverance

• “If you represent your country and millions of people are watching, it comes through a lot of grit and hard work.” — Michelle Kwan
• “Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self-belief—everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.” — Dustin Poirier

• “At various points, in big ways and small, we get knocked down. If we stay down, grit loses. If we get up, grit prevails.” — Angela Duckworth
• “You have your best workouts when you go in thinking you don’t want to do it, because you’re so satisfied with your own determination and grit.” — Tessa Virtue
• “Hard work isn’t enough. And more work is never the real answer. The sort of grit you need to scale a business is less reliant on brute force. It’s actually one part determination, one part ingenuity, and one part laziness.” — Reid Hoffman
• “Ultimately, I think it takes a certain grit and determination to constantly re-prove to people that you’re just as dedicated, just as determined, and just as capable as the entrepreneurs around you who may better fit the physical pattern—but on the flipside, women who succeed often become razor sharp through the process.” — Kathryn Minshew
• “Some people mistake grit for sheer persistence—charging up the same hill again and again. But that’s not quite what I mean by the word ‘grit.’ You want to minimize friction and find the most effective, most efficient way forward. You might actually have more grit if you treat your energy as a precious commodity.” — Reid Hoffman

Uplifting Grit Quotes

• “Grit is the stubborn refusal to quit.” — Anonymous
• “Leadership grit begets grit. Lead by example.” — Bill Hybels
• “Every great story happened when someone decided not to give up.” — Spryte Loriano
• “You have a choice! You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face!” — Anonymous
• “The way that I’ve been raised and the things I’ve had to do has given me grit that is unmatchable unless you were beside me.” — Lacey Evans
• “Grit is sticking with your future day in, day out and not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years.” — Angela Lee Duckworth
• “Humans are creatures of habit. If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through it, the grit begins to grow in you.” — Travis Bradberry
• “Negative emotions will challenge your grit every step of the way. While it’s impossible not to feel your emotions, it’s completely under your power to manage them effectively and to keep yourself in a position of control. When you let your emotions overtake your ability to think clearly, it’s easy to lose your resolve.” — Travis Bradberry

Build Resilience With These Inspiring Grit Quotes

• “Grit and self-control are related, but they’re not the same thing.” — Angela Duckworth
• “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T.S. Eliot
• “What is grit? Grit is refusing to give up. It’s persistence. It’s making your own luck.” — Peter Diamandis
• “I kept going. The decisions I’ve had to make, the setbacks, the feeling of having my back against the wall, I was determined that I had the grit.” — Eddy Alvarez
• “We can find a great sector or business, but we’re investing so early that unless there’s this tenacious grit, determination, resourcefulness, ability to evolve, it won’t work.” — Dan Levitan
• “One of the greatest boons that can ever come to a human being is to be born on a farm and reared in the country. Self-reliance and grit are oftenest country-bred.” — Orison Swett Marden
• “Grit is not just simple elbow-grease term for rugged persistence. It is an often invisible display of endurance that lets you stay in an uncomfortable place, work hard to improve upon a given interest, and do it again and again.” — Sarah Lewis

Quotes To Motivate You Through Hard Times

• “People with grit don’t believe that failure is a permanent condition.” — Angela Duckworth
• “Success doesn’t just happen. It is a product of hard work, grit, and ingenuity.” — Ogwo David Emenike
• “Grit is having the courage to push through, no matter what the obstacles are, because it’s worth it.” — Chris Morris
• “Grit is having the courage to do the right thing, regardless of the popularity or consequences.” — Joan Hall
• “Grit is picking yourself up and moving forward even when you think you can’t take one more step.” — Christy Mossburg
• “Successful people aren’t born successful. Behind it all, there is hard work, persistence, and a lot of grit.” — Arshad Wahedna
• “Mindset is everything. Your success begins and ends with a mindset. In between, it’s grit that carries you through.” — LeAura Alderson
• “Life may try to knock you down, but be persistent with your passions—cultivate grit, resilience, tenacity, and endurance, success will come.” — Amit Ray
• “Grit is knowing who you are and where you are headed, moving determinedly forward with eyes fixed on the mark, rather than the obstacles that lie in wait.” — Christine Bisch
• “True grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done. No moral man can have peace of mind if he leaves undone what he knows he should have done.” — John Wayne

The Essence of Grit: Finding Strength in Persistence

These grit quotes collectively underscore the profound impact of grit on achieving long-term goals and overcoming life’s hurdles.

Grit embodies the relentless spirit of perseverance and passion that distinguishes the extraordinary from the ordinary.

• “I will always remain heart and grit.” — Gennaro Gattuso

• “One thing you can’t teach is true grit.” — Julianna Pena

• “Grit is the persistence in following your own destiny.”  — Paul Bradley

• “Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance for a long-term goal.” — Angela Duckworth

• “Goal line is goal line. You go down there, and it’s the grit and grind of the game.” — Matt Cassel

• “That’s a very nice compliment, for somebody to be described as having grit, having some gravel in the gut.” — Jim Harbaugh

• “Highest of heights, I climb this mountain and feel one with the rock and grit and solitude echoing back at me.” — Bradley Chicho

• “When I get knocked down, I’ll get back up. I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I’ll strive to be the grittiest.” — Angela Duckworth

• “Grit depends on a different kind of hope. It rests on the expectation that our own efforts can improve our future. ‘I have a feeling tomorrow will be better’ is different from ‘I resolve to make tomorrow better.’” — Angela Duckworth
• “Grit grows as we figure out our life philosophy, learn to dust ourselves off after rejection and disappointment, and learn to tell the difference between low-level goals that should be abandoned quickly and higher-level goals that demand more tenacity.” — Angela Duckworth

What did you learn from these grit quotes?

Besides identifying your purpose, embracing your passions, and committing to regular practice, several other techniques can enhance your ‘grittiness.’

A key strategy is to cultivate hope and consistently seek a positive aspect in every situation you encounter.

For instance, I was once laid off from a job I loved.

Rather than succumbing to anger or overwhelming stress, I promptly looked at my budget and figured out where to reduce spending.

Then, I told myself and my partner, ‘Well, losing my job means I have more time for the things I want to do.

And bringing in less money means I will be more thankful for what I have. I know the right job will come along for me at the right time.’

Amused, he replied, “Way to see the silver lining.” Being mindful of the perspective I bring to things has been instrumental in developing my grit.

Another effective method to boost your grit is to surround yourself with people who exhibit that optimistic, determined, and resilient spirit.

Spending time with such individuals can positively influence you and the way you react to things by offering insights into life’s challenges and hardships.

What are the most significant insights you’ve gained from these quotes and sayings about grit?

Please share with us in the comment section!