Book Recommendation #2: 'Quit' by Annie Duke
The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away
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"Knowing when to quit is wisdom. Being able to is courage. Walking away, with your head held high, is dignity." - Anonymous
In 1974, Muhammad Ali pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in sports history when he knocked out George Foreman against unbelievable odds and adversities.
This victory cemented his reputation as the Greatest of All Time.
Muhammad Ali became a symbol of grit and determination. At age 32, after being banned for 3.5 years, he started from the bottom and triumphed against all odds and a sea of naysayers.
But his story doesn’t end there.
Ali fought for seven more years. From 1975 to 1981, he persisted despite repeated signals that he should quit. Teddy Brenner, who hosted his eight fights, begged him to retire, but Ali didn't listen.
After receiving a post-fight lab report about the condition of his kidneys, his fight doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, also told him to quit. Ali ignored him too, leading Ferdie to quit instead.
In 1980, Ali didn’t get medical clearance (a mere formality) to fight Larry Holmes, the current champion. Ali fought anyway and took such a beating that Larry Holmes cried after the match for having to defeat him.
Ali should have quit after defeating Foreman. All those punches Ali absorbed in the matches that followed contributed to Parkinson’s disease and his physical and mental decline.
Muhammad Ali, the Greatest of All Times, didn’t know when to quit.
This is a story from the book I am reading this week is ‘Quit: The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away,’ by Annie Duke.
In ‘Quit’ Duke explores explores the often overlooked and misunderstood concept of quitting. The book aims to reframe quitting not as a failure but as a strategic decision that can lead to better outcomes and greater success.
Duke draws on her experiences as a professional poker player and decision-making expert to provide insights and strategies for knowing when to quit.
Here are 4 things I got from the book:
View quitting as a proactive choice rather than a sign of failure, and understanding the value of walking away from unproductive or harmful pursuits.
“Success does not lie in sticking to things. It lies in picking the right thing to stick to and quitting the rest.” - Annie Duke
Continuing on a current path often means missing out on better opportunities elsewhere.
“Contrary to popular belief, winners quit a lot. That’s how they win.” - Annie Duke
The psychological bias that leads people to stick with decisions based on past investments (time, money, effort) rather than future benefits.
“If you feel like you’ve got a close call between quitting and persevering, it’s likely that quitting is the better choice.” - Annie Duke
Practical tools and frameworks for assessing when to quit, including decision-making processes that weigh the benefits and drawbacks of staying versus quitting.
“Quit and grit are two sides of the exact same decision. Decision-making in the real world requires action without complete information. Quitting is the tool that allows us to react to new information that is revealed after we make a decision.” - Annie Duke
Basically the book showed me strategic importance of quitting and knowing when to walk away from pursuits that no longer serve my goals or well-being.
About Annie Duke
Annie Duke was one of the top poker players in the world for two decades. In 2004, she won her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet competing in a field of 234 players. She wrote a book, "Decide to Play Great Poker: A Strategy Guide to No-limit Texas Hold 'Em," in 2011, providing strategic advice and insights for playing poker.
Then in 2018, Duke wrote her first book for general audiences, “Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts” presenting the idea that life is more like poker than chess because it involves making decisions with incomplete information and an element of luck. The book was an instant bestseller.
In 2020, she published a follow up book How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, offering practical tools and exercises for improving decision-making skills.
Quit: The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away, is her fourth book and a brilliant one. It’s highly entertaining and poses an interesting question - What if the secret to success is not just hard work, but knowing when to change track?
Annie is a master storyteller, having performed three times for The Moth, an organization that preserves the art of spoken word storytelling. One of her stories was selected by The Moth as one of their top 50 stories and featured in the organization’s first-ever book.
This book helped my understand that quitting is not a failure or a shame but a smart and necessary part of achieving long-term success and well-being.
Knowing when to walk away is a sign of wisdom and strength.
I highly recommend it to high achievers.
"A Book A Week," is a weekly post where I uncover the wisdom from great books to help you elevate your life, unleash your creativity, boost productivity, and build the future you desire. Each week, I distill the most impactful ideas from the books I’m reading, curating concepts that can make a real difference when applied to your life.
Since the inception of this newsletter, I’ve delved into a wide range of topics essential to personal growth and self-mastery.
"A Book A Week" is free, but it’s fueled by the support of readers like you. If you find value in these insights, I invite you to consider subscribing and joining a community of passionate learners dedicated to optimizing their habits, routines, and overall potential.
As always, thanks for reading.
See you next week.
Great write-up about this book. I read it when I was making the decision of whether to retire a year ago, and it helped me immensely!
Enjoyed reading your review. Thank you Neera. The book I just completed is "Mastery" by Robert Greene. You may like this.