No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich.
Malcolm GladwellRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good writing should engage readers and provoke thought rather than just persuade them.
In this quote, Malcolm Gladwell expresses his frustration with readers who react negatively to writing that challenges their views. He argues that the true measure of good writing lies in its ability to engage and provoke thought within the reader, offering insights into different perspectives, regardless of whether they ultimately agree with them or not.
Themes
WritingEngagementPerspectiveThoughtLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a writing workshop to encourage participants to focus on engaging their readers.
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The people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.
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When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy. Why can't there be a stairway? At least make it as easy to exercise as it is to not exercise. It's in society's interest for me to take the stairs.
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Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.
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