Duke gives this advice in a McKinsey interview about recognizing when to quit. The article quotes it within her answer and repeats it as a pull quotation.
“You should assume that if you’re thinking about quitting, it’s already probably past the time that you should have quit” Annie Duke — McKinsey Author Talks interview on Quit (Interview by Molly Liebergall, November 4, 2022).
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Evoking the world of Annie Duke — Author and decision strategist. Theme: "You should assume that if you’re thinking about quitting, it’s already probably past the time that you should have quit". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "You should assume that if you’re thinking about quitting, it’s already probably past the time that you should have quit". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
The source
Work
McKinsey Author Talks interview on Quit
Location
Interview by Molly Liebergall, November 4, 2022
thinking about quitting
A three-word excerpt from Duke’s answer; McKinsey also reproduces the complete sentence as a pull quotation.
The documented source was published after 1930. Copyright may subsist; quotation and attribution do not grant permission to reproduce the full work.
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Context
Why it mattered
She explains that uncertainty and reluctance to abandon a commitment can delay a sensible exit. This is a deliberately corrective rule of thumb, not a universal instruction to quit every activity as soon as a doubt occurs.
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Annie Duke is an author and decision strategist with a professional poker background. In this interview she explains quitting as a decision skill under uncertainty.
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The primary source (Chicago)
Annie Duke. McKinsey Author Talks interview on Quit. Interview by Molly Liebergall, November 4, 2022.
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Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘You should assume that if you’re thinking about quitting, it’s already probably past the time that you should have quit’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/you-should-assume-that-if-youre-thinking-about-quitting-its/