Not suggesting everyone should quit but I did yesterday having only done 4 months and feel a great sense of relief. Supervisor was very good about it and we are going to continue doing research together which is great.

although, everyone who finishes gets a great personal reward, it is worth remembering that there are other things that are rewarding as well and phds involve a lot of sacrifice. walking an unhappy road doesn't guarantee happiness at the end....

and we shouldn't really think of it as cowardly quitting. choosing to start fresh on something completely new takes more courage than trudging through 4yrs getting bitter....

good luck everyone