Incompetence annoys me. Overconfidence terrifies me.
Malcolm Gladwell
Incompetence, Overconfidence, Knowledge, Judgment, Fear
Malcolm Gladwell’s Quotes On Topics
Humans | Chess | Challenges | Repetition | Fragility | Teaching Quality | Diligence | Volatility | Admissions | Communication | Illness | Respect | Strength In Weakness | Skill | Resilience | Preparation | Growth | Risk | Travel | Preparedness | More
More Malcolm Gladwell Quotes
“Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others onto the top rung. We make rules that frustrate achievement. We prematurely write off people as failures. We are too much in awe of those who succeed and far too dismissive of those who fail. And, most of all, we become much too passive. We overlook just how large a role we all play – and by 'we' I mean society – in determining who makes it and who doesn’t.” Malcolm Gladwell
Success, Society, Failure, Opportunity, Achievement
Malcolm Gladwell Success, Society, Failure, Opportunity, Achievement“We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility.” Malcolm Gladwell
First Impressions, Psychology, Perception, Human Behavior, Fragility
Malcolm Gladwell First Impressions, Psychology, Perception, Human Behavior, Fragility“The Band-Aid is an inexpensive, convenient, and remarkably versatile solution to an astonishing array of problems.” Malcolm Gladwell
Innovation, Problem-solving, Simplicity, Solutions, Efficiency
Malcolm Gladwell Innovation, Problem-solving, Simplicity, Solutions, Efficiency“Our intuitions, as humans, aren’t always very good. Changes that happen really suddenly, on the strength of the most minor of input, can be deeply confusing.” Malcolm Gladwell
Intuition, Human Nature, Change, Perception, Understanding
Malcolm Gladwell Intuition, Human Nature, Change, Perception, Understanding“If you go to an elite school where the other students in your class are all really brilliant, you run the risk of mistakenly believing yourself to not be a good student.” Malcolm Gladwell
Elite Education, Harvard, School Choice, Success, Intelligence
Malcolm Gladwell Elite Education, Harvard, School Choice, Success, Intelligence“David and Goliath is a book about what happens when ordinary people confront giants.” Malcolm Gladwell
David vs Goliath, Overcoming Odds, Challenge, Perseverance, Power
Malcolm Gladwell David vs Goliath, Overcoming Odds, Challenge, Perseverance, Power“To appreciate the power of epidemics, we have to abandon this expectation about proportionality. We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that sometimes big changes follow from small events, and that sometimes these changes can happen very quickly.” Malcolm Gladwell
Change, Epidemics, Proportionality, Transformation, Quick Impact
Malcolm Gladwell Change, Epidemics, Proportionality, Transformation, Quick Impact“In the six degrees of separation, not all degrees are equal.” Malcolm Gladwell
Connection, Society, Relationships, Networks, Separation
Malcolm Gladwell Connection, Society, Relationships, Networks, Separation“The deceptions of Ana Montes and Bernie Madoff, the confusion over Amanda Knox, the plights of Graham Spanier and Emily Doe are all evidence of the underlying problem we have in making sense of people we do not know. Default to truth is a crucially important strategy that occasionally and unavoidably leads us astray. Transparency is a seemingly commonsense assumption that turns out to be an illusion. Both, however, raise the same question: once we accept our shortcomings, what should we do?” Malcolm Gladwell
Deception, Truth, Trust, Transparency, Misjudgment
Malcolm Gladwell Deception, Truth, Trust, Transparency, Misjudgment“When you write about sports, you're allowed to engage in mischief. Nothing is at stake.” Malcolm Gladwell
Sports, Writing, Mischief, Freedom, Entertainment
Malcolm Gladwell Sports, Writing, Mischief, Freedom, Entertainment“The fact of being an underdog changes people in ways that we often fail to appreciate. It opens doors and creates opportunities and enlightens and permits things that might otherwise have seemed unthinkable.” Malcolm Gladwell
Underdog, Opportunities, Change, Potential, Growth
Malcolm Gladwell Underdog, Opportunities, Change, Potential, Growth“That term, 'David and Goliath,' has entered our language as a metaphor for improbable victories by some weak party over someone far stronger.” Malcolm Gladwell
David and Goliath, Metaphor, Victory, Strength, Overcoming Odds
Malcolm Gladwell David and Goliath, Metaphor, Victory, Strength, Overcoming Odds“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.” Malcolm Gladwell
Decision-making, Knowledge, Understanding, Judgment, Learning
Malcolm Gladwell Decision-making, Knowledge, Understanding, Judgment, Learning“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.” Malcolm Gladwell
Relationships, Emotions, Communication, Psychology, Conflict
Malcolm Gladwell Relationships, Emotions, Communication, Psychology, Conflict“Often a sign of expertise is noticing what doesn’t happen.” Malcolm Gladwell
Expertise, Awareness, Observation, Skill, Experience
Malcolm Gladwell Expertise, Awareness, Observation, Skill, Experience“To look closely at complex behaviors like smoking or suicide or crime is to appreciate how suggestible we are in the face of what we see and hear, and how acutely sensitive we are to even the smallest details of everyday life. That’s why social change is so volatile and so often inexplicable, because it is the nature of all of us to be volatile and inexplicable.” Malcolm Gladwell
Behavior, Social Change, Sensitivity, Human Nature, Volatility
Malcolm Gladwell Behavior, Social Change, Sensitivity, Human Nature, Volatility“There’s no possibility of being pessimistic when people are dependent on you for their only optimism.” Malcolm Gladwell
Optimism, Responsibility, Support, Influence, Hope
Malcolm Gladwell Optimism, Responsibility, Support, Influence, Hope