Sunday, March 18, 2012

Outliers - The Story of Success (1)

"Outliers - The Story of Success" 
by Malcolm Gladwell

Part I Opportunity - Quotes

  1. People don't rise from nothing. We do owe something to parentage and patronage. 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.
  2. It makes a difference when and where we grew up. The culture we belong to and the legacies passed down by our forebears shape the patterns of our achievement in ways we cannot begin to imagine. It's not enough to ask what successful people are like. It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't.
  3. The "Matthew Effect" - 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.