Why Sometimes Quitting Is the Right Choice and How to Recognize Those Times
- Cambri Morris
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
“Success…is about knowing when to grit and when to quit,” (Adam Grant). Though I talk a lot about grit on my blog, I wanted to take a moment to recognize that being gritty isn’t always the right choice. While grit is a valuable skill to develop in yourself, deploying it may not always be what you need to do for your own health or success.
The Lies We’re Told about Success
Success—whatever that subjective word means to you—is often framed as the result of sticking it out when it gets tough, being gritty, or never quitting. Grit is lauded as the preferred quality through positive connotations like “determined,” “courageous,” and “persevering,” while quitting is ridiculed and shamed. (Why Quitting is Underrated).
But what if the only way to succeed is to cut away from the nets holding us back? Annie Duke, the author of Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, says, “Contrary to popular belief, winners quit a lot. That’s how they win,” (Why Quitting is Underrated). Maybe that job you hate is keeping you from seeking out a different job that will treat you better. Maybe the reason you’re not getting any writing done is that you have said yes to too many people and need to tell some of them no instead.
Why We Feel Like Quitting
Normally, I’m all about being gritty. I’ll be the first to tell you never to give up on your dreams. If you feel like quitting something that you love, I don’t believe that’s usually the right choice. As Angela Duckworth says, grit is passion plus perseverance (Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance), so if you don’t have passion for what you’re doing, are you really being gritty, or are you just afraid to make a change? Why persevere for perseverance’s sake?
Sometimes, you might feel like quitting the things you love the most. I believe the reason has to do with how well you’re taking care of yourself. If you don’t feel like doing something you love, that’s a good sign to check in with your wellbeing and make adjustments. When was the last time you exercised? When was the last time you did something just for the fun of it?
Other times, the urge to quit could come because the dream you’re pursuing hit a roadblock or rough patch. Sometimes, working towards a goal gets hard. In authorship, that hard patch might be getting negative feedback from beta readers, or it might be getting hundreds of rejection letters.
Every dream is going to come with setbacks, and it’s in these moments that you really need to summon your grit and push through.
Valid Reasons to Actually Quit
Burnout and Mental Health
My sister has been working for the same company for several years. She spent hours sitting at a desk, bored out of her mind. A couple of times during her shift, she would hop on a call with a client, coach them through their emotional baggage, and then try to sell them on another session so she could actually get a commission for her coaching. She was making $18 an hour for her time.
Every time I saw her, she would talk about quitting, but she felt that she couldn’t because she needed the money. (Totally valid—I’m not saying you should quit the job you need to live). The job was taking a mental toll on her, and our entire family could see it.
Just a couple of weeks ago, she gave her two weeks, and I haven’t seen her so excited about something in a long time.
Tackling Too Many Things at Once
I recently had my own experience with quitting. I volunteer for a wonderful nonprofit called Operation Literacy, which promotes literacy and writing skills in children and teens. I’ve been with them for five years, and the volunteer position I was in changed a lot in that time.
This last year, I was asked to lead a committee of volunteers. As a new mom and the chair for this committee, it was difficult to organize my team and lead meetings in a way that felt productive and purposeful. Since my family is my top priority, and writing is my second, I struggled to give my committee role the attention it needed.
I decided that once the StoryCon 2026 convention was over, I would step down. It turns out that my committee is being disbanded anyway, but the important thing is, I was ready to do what I needed to for my well-being.
When to Push Through and When to Throw in the Towel
It can be tricky to know when you’re just being lazy and when you really need to get out of a situation. I don’t claim to be an expert on this, by any means, but I do speak from a perspective of having a really hard time with failure. I hate quitting, and throughout my life, I’ve learned, too late, when I needed to quit.
If you’re considering quitting something, ask yourself the questions below and see if they get you closer to an answer.
Ask Yourself These Questions…
Are you considering quitting? If you answer yes to this question, I hate to say it, but you need to quit. Annie Duke says, “If you’re thinking about quitting, it’s…usually past the time that you should have quit,” (Knowing When to Quit Interview, 15:35).
What is the chance that 1 year from now, you will be happy if you don’t quit? Compare that percentage to the chance that you will be happy if you do quit. Which number is higher? (Knowing When to Quit Interview, 16:59).
If a loved one gave you the same excuses, what would you say to them? It’s so much easier to be objective when faced with someone else’s problems. Sometimes, pretending your choice belongs to someone else can help you decide.
Alternatives to Quitting
Let’s go back to my story about quitting Operation Literacy. I mentioned that I planned to quit, but that my committee got disbanded. One might think the story was over, but I want to suggest something that might feel counterintuitive. Maybe sometimes the right answer isn’t to quit, but to change your level of involvement.
Burnout, especially, can be a symptom of needed change. The right change might be to quit something entirely, but it could also be approaching the job, activity, hobby, or goal from a new perspective.
I recently applied for a paid position with Operation Literacy. This might be the wrong choice for me, but it also could be the right one. I care enough about the mission of this organization that I don’t want to leave, but I can no longer give my time for free.
I hope this opportunity pans out so I can continue to associate with Op-Lit and its amazing team. Maybe this change of scenery and flavor will give me the mix-up I need.
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