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Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds.
Malcolm Gladwell
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Success requires continual effort and determination, especially when faced with challenges that others may abandon quickly.

This quote by Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes that true success is often achieved not just through talent or intelligence, but through persistence and a strong work ethic. It highlights the importance of remaining committed and working hard even in the face of difficulties that might cause others to give up, suggesting that a willingness to invest time and effort can lead to deeper understanding and eventual success.

Themes

SuccessPersistenceHard WorkDedicationDetermination

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be shared during a motivational speech to encourage students to keep pushing through tough subjects.

More from Malcolm Gladwell

No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich.
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People are in one of two states in a relationship,” Gottman went on. “The first is what I call positive sentiment override, where positive emotion overrides irritability. It’s like a buffer. Their spouse will do something bad, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, he’s just in a crummy mood.’ Or they can be in negative sentiment override, so that even a relatively neutral thing that a partner says gets perceived as negative.
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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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Achievement is talent plus preparation. The problem with this view is that the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role innate talent seems to play and the bigger the role preparation seems to play.
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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.
Malcolm GladwellRead
Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.
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