Prejudice and incompetence go a long way toward explaining social dysfunction in the United States.
Malcolm Gladwell
Society, Dysfunction, Prejudice, Incompetence, Issues
Malcolm Gladwell’s Quotes On Topics
Exaggeration | Learning Differences | American System | Universal | Origins | Mistakes | Poverty | Literary Criticism | Business | Nineteenth Century | Misunderstanding | Warning Signs | Success | Social Bias | Experience | Analysis | Student Identity | Rebellion | Social Influence | Complexity | More
More Malcolm Gladwell Quotes
“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“Those three things – autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward – are, most people agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying. It is not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It’s whether our work fulfills us.” Malcolm Gladwell
Work Satisfaction, Autonomy, Effort, Reward, Motivation
Malcolm Gladwell Work Satisfaction, Autonomy, Effort, Reward, Motivation“The As were judged to be much more alert, poised, attractive, and well dressed. In fact, the scores on those four dimensions are so different as to make you think you are looking at two different species of humans. You aren’t, of course. You’re simply seeing the difference between those schooled by their families to present their best face to the world, and those denied that experience.” Malcolm Gladwell
Social Class, Upbringing, Perception, Judgments, Privilege
Malcolm Gladwell Social Class, Upbringing, Perception, Judgments, Privilege“There are moments, particularly in times of stress, when haste does not make waste, when our snap judgments and first impressions can offer a much better means of making sense of the world.” Malcolm Gladwell
Stress, Judgment, Decision-making, Perception, Instinct
Malcolm Gladwell Stress, Judgment, Decision-making, Perception, Instinct“A runner needs not just to be skinny but - more specifically - to have skinny calves and ankles, because every extra pound carried on your extremities costs more than a pound carried on your torso. That's why shaving even a few ounces off a pair of running shoes can have a significant effect.” Malcolm Gladwell
Running, Physical Fitness, Sports, Calves, Performance
Malcolm Gladwell Running, Physical Fitness, Sports, Calves, Performance“Understanding the power of the underdog requires an effort. It requires standing up to conventional wisdom.” Malcolm Gladwell
Underdog, Power, Wisdom, Effort, Challenge
Malcolm Gladwell Underdog, Power, Wisdom, Effort, Challenge“My father read Charles Dickens to us as children, and at the end of virtually every novel he would choke up and start to cry – and my father NEVER cried. It always made me love him all the more.” Malcolm Gladwell
Family, Emotion, Literature, Love, Vulnerability
Malcolm Gladwell Family, Emotion, Literature, Love, Vulnerability“Telling teenagers about the health risks of smoking – It will make you wrinkled! It will make you impotent! It will make you dead! – is useless,” Harris concludes. “This is adult propaganda; these are adult arguments. It is because adults don’t approve of smoking – because there is something dangerous and disreputable about it – that teenagers want to do it.” Malcolm Gladwell
Rebellion, Youth Psychology, Persuasion, Risky Behavior, Social Dynamics
Malcolm Gladwell Rebellion, Youth Psychology, Persuasion, Risky Behavior, Social Dynamics“Successful people don’t do it alone. Where they come from matters. They’re products of particular places and environments.” Malcolm Gladwell
Success, Social Influence, Environment, Background, Personal Achievement
Malcolm Gladwell Success, Social Influence, Environment, Background, Personal Achievement“From experience we gain a powerful gift, the ability to act instinctively, in the moment. But – and this is one of the lessons I tried very hard to impart in Blink – it is easy to disrupt this gift.” Malcolm Gladwell
Experience, Instinct, Decision-making, Learning, Action
Malcolm Gladwell Experience, Instinct, Decision-making, Learning, Action“Our world requires that decisions be sourced and footnoted, and if we say how we feel, we must also be prepared to elaborate on why we feel that way.” Malcolm Gladwell
Decision Making, Explanation, Thought Process, Responsibility, Clarity
Malcolm Gladwell Decision Making, Explanation, Thought Process, Responsibility, Clarity“Insight is not a lightbulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out.” Malcolm Gladwell
Insight, Understanding, Thought, Clarity, Reflection
Malcolm Gladwell Insight, Understanding, Thought, Clarity, Reflection“That late bloomers bloom late because they simply aren’t much good until late in their careers.” Malcolm Gladwell
Late Bloomers, Success, Career, Growth, Potential
Malcolm Gladwell Late Bloomers, Success, Career, Growth, Potential“There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis.” Malcolm Gladwell
Decision Making, Intuition, Instinct, Thinking, Analysis
Malcolm Gladwell Decision Making, Intuition, Instinct, Thinking, Analysis“We would all be sitting in our deck chairs in the backyard, and we would look up, and all of a sudden, the Air House – or maybe even some specific part of the Air House – would be gone. Poof. High-altitude precision bombing. Curtis LeMay won the battle. Haywood Hansell won the war.” Malcolm Gladwell
War, History, Strategy, Air Force, Legacy
Malcolm Gladwell War, History, Strategy, Air Force, Legacy“Coupling is the idea that behaviors are linked to very specific circumstances and conditions.” Malcolm Gladwell
Behavior, Circumstance, Conditions, Psychology, Relationships
Malcolm Gladwell Behavior, Circumstance, Conditions, Psychology, Relationships“What Heinz had done was come up with a condiment that pushed all five of these primal buttons. The taste of Heinz’s ketchup began at the tip of the tongue, where our receptors for sweet and salty first appear, moved along the sides, where sour notes seem the strongest, then hit the back of the tongue, for umami and bitter, in one long crescendo.” Malcolm Gladwell
Taste, Food Science, Sensory Experience, Product Design, Marketing
Malcolm Gladwell Taste, Food Science, Sensory Experience, Product Design, Marketing“The first is that much of what we consider valuable in our world arises out of these kinds of lopsided conflicts, because the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty. And second, that we consistently get these kinds of conflicts wrong.” Malcolm Gladwell
Conflict, Overcoming odds, Struggle, Growth, Mistakes
Malcolm Gladwell Conflict, Overcoming odds, Struggle, Growth, Mistakes“In my mid-adolescence, my friend Terry Martin and I became obsessed with William F. Buckley. This makes more sense when you realize that we were living in Bible Belt farming country miles from civilization. Buckley seemed impossibly exotic.” Malcolm Gladwell
William F. Buckley, Influence, Adolescence, Obsession, Rural Living
Malcolm Gladwell William F. Buckley, Influence, Adolescence, Obsession, Rural Living“I remember as a kid watching one of the Olympic games, and I was cheering for a big track athlete. He was the favorite to win, and he lost. I realized in that moment the pain he felt was so much greater than the pain that those who never thought they were going to win would have felt had they lost.” Malcolm Gladwell
Pain, Olympics, Competition, Loss, Emotional Impact
Malcolm Gladwell Pain, Olympics, Competition, Loss, Emotional Impact