Malcolm Gladwell

We vary greatly in the natural advantages that we've been given. The world's not fair

The trick to finding ideas is to convince yourself that everyone and everything has a story.

The poorer children were, to her mind, often better behaved, less whiny, more creative in making use of their own time, and have a well-developed sense of independence.

The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot. It makes a difference where and when we grew up.

being able to act intelligently and instinctively in the moment is possible only after a long and rigorous of education and experience

Flom had the same experience...He didn't triumph over adversity. Instead, what started out as adversity ended up being an opportunity.

There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis.

To be someone's best friend requires a minimum investment of time. More than that, though, it takes emotional energy. Caring about someone deeply is exhausting.

Nothing frustrates me more than someone who reads something of mine or anyone else's and says, angrily, 'I don't buy it.' Why are they angry? Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else's head—even if in the end you conclude that someone else's head is not a place you'd really like to be.

Achievement is talent plus preparation

That is the paradox of the epidemic: that in order to create one contagious movement, you often have to create many small movements first.

You don't start at the top if you want to find the story. You start in the middle, because it's the people in the middle who do the actual work in the world.

My earliest memories of my father are of seeing him work at his desk and realizing that he was happy. I did not know it then, but that was one of the most precious gifts a father can give his child.

There is a simple way to package information that, under the right circumstances, can make it irresistible. All you have to do is find it.

There are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting epidemics. All you have to do is find them.

Our world requires that decisions be sourced and footnoted, and if we say how we feel, we must also be prepared to elaborate on why we feel that way...We need to respect the fact that it is possible to know without knowing why we know and accept that - sometimes - we're better off that way.

In the act of tearing something apart, you lose its meaning.

It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention. And it’s the biggest nine- and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice. Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage.

..... it would be interesting to find out what goes on in that moment when someone looks at you and draws all sorts of conclusions.

When we become expert in something, our tastes grow more esoteric and complex.

Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.