Author's Purpose
In “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell’s primary purpose is to convince the reader that people don’t rise from nothing. Although it may seem like the people who stand before kings did it all by themselves, in reality, they were given remarkable advantages, opportunities and cultural legacies that allowed for them to learn, work hard, and eventually be considered successful.
Thesis: In order to completely understand the difference between those who succeed and those who don't, we must look into each person's individual background and determine how much of a role- family / friendships (guidance), culture, society (opportunity), and environment has played on their life as a whole. To further support his thesis, Gladwell analyzes the success of Canadian ice hockey players, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Robert Oppenheimer just to name a few.
Quotes:
"But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities"- Page 55
"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."- Page 246
"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities- and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."- Page 267
"To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of luck breaks and arbitrary advantages that today determines success with a society that provides opportunities for all."- Page 268
“The lesson here is very simple. But it is striking how often it is overlooked. We are so caught in the myths of the best and the brightest and the self-made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth. We look at the young Bill Gates and marvel that our world allowed that thirteen-year-old to become a fabulously successful entrepreneur. But that's the wrong lesson. Our world only allowed one thirteen-year-old unlimited access to a time sharing terminal in 1968. If a million teenagers had been given the same opportunity, how many more Microsofts would we have today?” -Page 268
Thesis: In order to completely understand the difference between those who succeed and those who don't, we must look into each person's individual background and determine how much of a role- family / friendships (guidance), culture, society (opportunity), and environment has played on their life as a whole. To further support his thesis, Gladwell analyzes the success of Canadian ice hockey players, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Robert Oppenheimer just to name a few.
Quotes:
"But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities"- Page 55
"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."- Page 246
"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities- and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."- Page 267
"To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of luck breaks and arbitrary advantages that today determines success with a society that provides opportunities for all."- Page 268
“The lesson here is very simple. But it is striking how often it is overlooked. We are so caught in the myths of the best and the brightest and the self-made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth. We look at the young Bill Gates and marvel that our world allowed that thirteen-year-old to become a fabulously successful entrepreneur. But that's the wrong lesson. Our world only allowed one thirteen-year-old unlimited access to a time sharing terminal in 1968. If a million teenagers had been given the same opportunity, how many more Microsofts would we have today?” -Page 268