Why you should quit and not look back: ‘Saying yes to everything is saying no to what matters’

In her new book, The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out, Lindsay Crouse discusses the costs and traps of never giving up – and how she set herself free

Lindsay Crouse used to define herself as not a quitter.

She went to Harvard University, where she learned to become even more high-achieving and ambitious, then landed an assistant job at the New York Times and worked her way up to become an opinion writer and producer. On the weekends, Crouse ran marathons and did endurance sports, clocking new personal bests throughout her thirties.

“My entire life was really guided by only one question: how can I go harder, and do more?” she says now over Zoom.

Over time, though, that mentality began to backfire. After having two children, Crouse started falling behind, dropping balls and losing her passion for running and writing. Something needed to change.