Outliers: The Story of Success
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- Create Date：2021-08-06 08:53:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Malcolm Gladwell
- ISBN：0141036257
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Summary
Why are people successful？ For centuries， humankind has grappled with this question， searching for the secret to accomplishing great things。 In this stunning new book， Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an invigorating intellectual journey to show us what makes an extreme overachiever。
He reveals that we pay far too much attention to what successful people are like， and too little attention to where successful people are from。 Gladwell examines how the careers of Bill Gates and the performance of world-class football players are alike; why so many top lawyers are Jewish; why Asians are good at maths and why it is correct to say that the mathematician who solved Fermat's Theorem is not a genius。
Like Blink， this is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate。
He reveals that we pay far too much attention to what successful people are like， and too little attention to where successful people are from。 Gladwell examines how the careers of Bill Gates and the performance of world-class football players are alike; why so many top lawyers are Jewish; why Asians are good at maths and why it is correct to say that the mathematician who solved Fermat's Theorem is not a genius。
Like Blink， this is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate。
Reviews
Pierce
，
tIn order to be so great at something to be considered a master a person should have 10，000 hours of practice。 “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell is a book about people that stand out and make differences。 Gladwell’s detailed illustrations and examples explaining his theories are what make this book thought-provoking and interesting as well as applicable。 His description of a competitive hockey team with players only born in January-March makes it relatable to all ages。 Not only did he tell great sto tIn order to be so great at something to be considered a master a person should have 10，000 hours of practice。 “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell is a book about people that stand out and make differences。 Gladwell’s detailed illustrations and examples explaining his theories are what make this book thought-provoking and interesting as well as applicable。 His description of a competitive hockey team with players only born in January-March makes it relatable to all ages。 Not only did he tell great stories， but he told a lot of them， reinforcing the points he is making。 For example， to illustrate his point about 10，000 hours leading to mastery he included no less than 3 stories just for one chapter。 Gladwell’s book was incredibly realistic and he used lots of detail in each chapter。 As an example， in the prologue， he talked about how Italian people live longer than most people and not only did he explain why but he walked through one person’s whole day。 This was a great book for anyone， but especially someone wanting to learn and excel at something new。 He put time and effort and extensive research into every chapter and it shows。 。。。more
Salima Bensalah
，
My second Gladwell read （after 'Talking to Strangers'）。 Thought-provoking， dynamic， thorough。 Gladwell is a strong storyteller and I look forward to reading his future literary endeavors。 My second Gladwell read （after 'Talking to Strangers'）。 Thought-provoking， dynamic， thorough。 Gladwell is a strong storyteller and I look forward to reading his future literary endeavors。 。。。more
Leonardo Suarez
，
so at the end of the day， success can be dumbed down to cumulative advantage:- Matthew effect （"accumulative advantage"）: The sociologist Robert Merton famously called this phenomenon the “Matthew Effect” after the New Testament verse in the Gospel of Matthew: “For unto everyone that hath shall be given， and he shall have abundance。 But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath。” It is those who are successful， in other words， who are most likely to be given the kinds of so at the end of the day， success can be dumbed down to cumulative advantage:- Matthew effect （"accumulative advantage"）: The sociologist Robert Merton famously called this phenomenon the “Matthew Effect” after the New Testament verse in the Gospel of Matthew: “For unto everyone that hath shall be given， and he shall have abundance。 But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath。” 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。 It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks。 It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention。 And it’s the biggest nine- and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice。 Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage。”a successful story starts with effort but is leveraged by luck 。。。more
Marielle Blanza
，
Offered some good sociological and anthropological insights into our understanding of success。 Inspiring and not a heavy read。 However， I felt uncomfortable after the author made a sweeping generalization about the relationship between rice economy and feudalism based on studies of East Asian countries alone。
Katherin
，
Very interesting read。 It all makes a lot of sense really， and I can't help but read it （especially the italicized parts） in Malcolm's tone。 Very interesting read。 It all makes a lot of sense really， and I can't help but read it （especially the italicized parts） in Malcolm's tone。 。。。more
Rebecca Daun
，
malcom。。。。 we luv em。 this is a classic so you don't need my review to tell u to read this malcom。。。。 we luv em。 this is a classic so you don't need my review to tell u to read this 。。。more
The Book Bear
，
I was first introduced to Malcolm Gladwell via his TedEd talk of David and Goliath， and I quickly read through his books。 I would say that the writing is generally easy to read， but Gladwell makes many valid points throughout his books; he additionally covers interesting topics that normally would not be talked about。I think my main quibble with Outliers （hence the deduction of a star） was that I felt like the book was sending an indecisive message。 The author suggests that the reason that some I was first introduced to Malcolm Gladwell via his TedEd talk of David and Goliath， and I quickly read through his books。 I would say that the writing is generally easy to read， but Gladwell makes many valid points throughout his books; he additionally covers interesting topics that normally would not be talked about。I think my main quibble with Outliers （hence the deduction of a star） was that I felt like the book was sending an indecisive message。 The author suggests that the reason that some people leap to success is because of environment/wealth/sets of circumstances that happen to go their way。 Gladwell does use persuasive evidence to buttress his claim- like showing the birthdays of hockey players to explain how some birthdays are better- but it can also be argued that he uses this evidence to imply that if you don't have X circumstances， then you simply won't be one of the greats。 While this may be true， there's just something about it that I disagree with。"Those born after midsummer might as well just pack their bags"But overall， the book was great。3。75- 4 stars/ 。。。more
Rana Habib
，
Im so glad I read this book。 This was honestly the most interesting book that I’ve read and I enjoyed every second of it。
Halley
，
A good read- gets you thinking about how the situation and the circumstances you are in have a lot to do with the path you are able to take in life
Viktor
，
I expected a bit more， considering the book's rating。 Surely， it's well written and interesting - Malcom Gladwell is a good storyteller。 In general， I agree with the main thesis that great success does NOT depend only on very hard work - there's a multitude of other factors involved: luck， intelligence， having access to proper education， social intelligence， connections， etc。 The author does a good job at showing that some of the greatest achievers also had a very rare opportunity， which they we I expected a bit more， considering the book's rating。 Surely， it's well written and interesting - Malcom Gladwell is a good storyteller。 In general， I agree with the main thesis that great success does NOT depend only on very hard work - there's a multitude of other factors involved: luck， intelligence， having access to proper education， social intelligence， connections， etc。 The author does a good job at showing that some of the greatest achievers also had a very rare opportunity， which they were able to seize。The author's approach to the thesis is nevertheless unconvincing。 He tries to explain the shared stories only in a way that supports his argument。 There is not a single attempt to built a counterthesis or consider an opposing viewpoint。 Furthermore， the observation "X was lucky to be born at this certain year， so that X can be old enough， but not too old， to discover/create Y， when there was a great need for Y" is so harsh， that it can be made for anyone who have achieved anything。Another thing that I disliked is that there is no prescription or advice based on the information。 The author simply shares a bunch of stories， explains them in his chosen way and that's it - no attempt is made at giving a philosophical evaluation of his opinion。 Neither is there any useful tip what to do after reading the book - should I be happier or disappointed with how history works？ Can I use this knowledge to my advantage or not？ 。。。more
maddie barbar
，
Canadian hockey players born on January 1st are pumping their fists right now。 Thanks Gladwell， I’ve actually enjoyed reading a nonfiction book that wasn’t a memoir。
Matt Knerr
，
Rice paddies are the key to success
Ed Winslow
，
A good read and insightful viewpoint related to high achievers
Bella
，
- birthdays of hockey players - bill gates birthday / access to computer - Asians have the values of rice fields - Epilogue reminds me of Hercules by Watsky
Daniela
，
It's very interesting to learn how truly unreal meritocracy is， and understanding the factors that lead to creating accumulative advantage to certain lucky people， whereas other people seem to be disadvantaged by things no one really notices and are unaware of。 I find this reading very relevant， since it is only possible to change systems and provide equal opportunities for all， by understing which things are the ones that create an uneven ground in the first place。 It's very interesting to learn how truly unreal meritocracy is， and understanding the factors that lead to creating accumulative advantage to certain lucky people， whereas other people seem to be disadvantaged by things no one really notices and are unaware of。 I find this reading very relevant， since it is only possible to change systems and provide equal opportunities for all， by understing which things are the ones that create an uneven ground in the first place。 。。。more
Kevin Morrissey
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I agree with Gladwell that to truly understand how someone achieves success you have to look at their environment and what opportunities were available to them。 However， I think it it is ignorant to say that traits have nothing to do with success because you have to be driven， hard-working， and opportunistic。 Even if everything goes your way it doesn’t just plop in your lap。 Common traits in the book are hard-working and driven， but these are totally neglected when the overarching meaning of the I agree with Gladwell that to truly understand how someone achieves success you have to look at their environment and what opportunities were available to them。 However， I think it it is ignorant to say that traits have nothing to do with success because you have to be driven， hard-working， and opportunistic。 Even if everything goes your way it doesn’t just plop in your lap。 Common traits in the book are hard-working and driven， but these are totally neglected when the overarching meaning of the book is discussed。 。。。more
Phuong Anh
，
Điểm khen: - Sách rất nhiều thông tin， dữ liệu sâu， được kết nối qua góc tư duy của tác giả rất mượt mà， từ việc ngày sinh có tác động thế nào tới thành công của một cá nhân， một suy nghĩ rất đặc biệt， đào sâu từng ngõ ngách rất nhỏ và chi tiết tới các tác nhân của thành công。 - Quan điểm rất hay và đầy cảm hứng， ai cũng có thể trở nên thành công， những người xuất chúng thật sự không hề xuất chúng bởi nỗ lực cá nhân là không đủ， có quá nhiều yếu tố tác động tới việc bạn sẽ trở nên xuất chúng như Điểm khen: - Sách rất nhiều thông tin， dữ liệu sâu， được kết nối qua góc tư duy của tác giả rất mượt mà， từ việc ngày sinh có tác động thế nào tới thành công của một cá nhân， một suy nghĩ rất đặc biệt， đào sâu từng ngõ ngách rất nhỏ và chi tiết tới các tác nhân của thành công。 - Quan điểm rất hay và đầy cảm hứng， ai cũng có thể trở nên thành công， những người xuất chúng thật sự không hề xuất chúng bởi nỗ lực cá nhân là không đủ， có quá nhiều yếu tố tác động tới việc bạn sẽ trở nên xuất chúng như thế nào， một trong đó là yếu tố cơ hội - và ai cũng có cơ hội như nhau， bằng cách này hay cách khác， có người sẽ phải hi sinh nhiều hơn để nắm bắt được cơ hội。 - It's Malcolm Gladwell :） Điểm chê: - Dẫu biết một cuốn sách hướng sẽ rất khó để có thể dịch và biên soạn lại， bản mình đọc là tái bản lần thứ 11， dịch giả Diệu Ngọc， nhưng có nhiều câu， mình thực sự phải nín thở để đọc cho hết T_T。 Dài và không có một dấu phẩy ngắt quãng gì cả， nên vô hình chung làm mình phải nín thở và đọc 2 lần để hiểu được hết câu， không biết có ai thấy giống mình không nữa。 Nếu Goodreads có hệ thống đánh giá sao lẻ， mình sẽ cho cuốn này 4。5/5 （cho bản Tiếng Việt） Có lẽ mình sẽ tìm đọc lại bản Tiếng Anh để xem chính xác văn phong của tác giả。 。。。more
Daniel Cardona
，
So accurate and spotless， Gladwell take us to a journey of history， facts， related paths， he reconstruct the life's of those who we thought are untouchables， the genius of our generation。In reality being an outlier its more a game of odds。 Success is luck meeting preparation So accurate and spotless， Gladwell take us to a journey of history， facts， related paths， he reconstruct the life's of those who we thought are untouchables， the genius of our generation。In reality being an outlier its more a game of odds。 Success is luck meeting preparation 。。。more
Emily Claybourn
，
Malcolm Gladwell for President
Alex Pan
，
It talks about nothing special， but that's exactly what makes it special。Gladwell looks into ordinary lives and the seemingly "ordinary" events in those lives that may be A LOT more important than we think。I read this for a high school Sociology class。 It talks about nothing special， but that's exactly what makes it special。Gladwell looks into ordinary lives and the seemingly "ordinary" events in those lives that may be A LOT more important than we think。I read this for a high school Sociology class。 。。。more
Ethan Sexton
，
It's not revolutionary to say that this Malcolm Gladwell book changed how I saw the world， which is one of the most impressive things I think I've ever said about someone。 I only have this at a four because I think he neglects talking about how someone's hard work can influence their odds at success， but the fundamental point of his thesis is still sharp。 I'd pitch the names he talks about in this book， but you already know them; the real fun is hearing about the little bits of backstory that ma It's not revolutionary to say that this Malcolm Gladwell book changed how I saw the world， which is one of the most impressive things I think I've ever said about someone。 I only have this at a four because I think he neglects talking about how someone's hard work can influence their odds at success， but the fundamental point of his thesis is still sharp。 I'd pitch the names he talks about in this book， but you already know them; the real fun is hearing about the little bits of backstory that make all the difference in getting them there。 。。。more
Elijah Abel
，
I guess I should leave a review since I'm rating a widely beloved book so poorly。。。 Malcolm Gladwell is no doubt an excellent writer who tells captivating stories。 This is the only book of his that I've ever read， but I think it's made abundantly clear here， and I would've given this book 1 star if not for this one factor。The execution of this book is nothing but pure hubris by Gladwell。 In the very first chapter of the book， he states "It's not enough to ask what successful people are like。 It' I guess I should leave a review since I'm rating a widely beloved book so poorly。。。 Malcolm Gladwell is no doubt an excellent writer who tells captivating stories。 This is the only book of his that I've ever read， but I think it's made abundantly clear here， and I would've given this book 1 star if not for this one factor。The execution of this book is nothing but pure hubris by Gladwell。 In the very first chapter of the book， he states "It's not enough to ask what successful people are like。 It's only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't。" He makes bold claims that the only determining factor for "outliers" is background。 He attempts to use anecdotes to make blanket statements about who will be successful and who will not。 I do not think that the 10-15 examples he uses throughout the book are enough to justify his matter-of-fact statements about people's lack of agency in their own lives。 You can never find enough anecdotes to prove that all 7 billion existent people's experiences will be determinant。 It's a fool's errand， and yet he's done exactly this and claimed he has THE answer。 Hubris。The sad thing is that I do actually do agree with him that where people come from is an extremely important factor， and if he had even bothered to pose it as one of the most important factors as opposed to "THE" factor， then I probably would have agreed with him。 I do not think he does any good arguing that success is based on background， as though to suggest that people have no impact in their own lives regardless of effort or approach （though I'm sure he would conclude that both work ethic and problem-solving mentality come from background）。 If he were to put it in a more useful context and use a less drastic argument， then I think there could be found an appropriate place for the contents of this book。 As is， I think his book would be better of titled "Outliers: The Story of Some People's Success。" But alas it is not， so here we are at 2 stars。I'm sure that somehow you can conclude that all English-born Canadians born in September of 1963， with parents of exactly his parents' background end up a New York Times best-selling authors， but I'm having a hard time drawing the lines。 I'm sure Gladwell could。 （I admit that I pulled that from wikipedia。 I'm not as deep-diving of a researcher as he is。） 。。。more
Greynomad
，
Not what I expected
Raquel Silva
，
Loved this book！ It really changes your perspective on success。 It's not just talent and hard work， it's opportunity。 Loved this book！ It really changes your perspective on success。 It's not just talent and hard work， it's opportunity。 。。。more
Sarah D
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I think I found my new favorite author。
Nattharat
，
read back in 2014
Simón
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Great story telling。 Case by case the reader explores what is （or looks like） an outlier， and what's not really。 Liked a lot also the author's personal epilogue。。。 Well done Mr。 Gladwell。 Great story telling。 Case by case the reader explores what is （or looks like） an outlier， and what's not really。 Liked a lot also the author's personal epilogue。。。 Well done Mr。 Gladwell。 。。。more
Shagun Sharma
，
A wonderful book， helping us take one step back to realise what "success" （in worldly definition， just to be clear！） is made up of， or more appropriately， to challenge the notion that it is not a simple additive sum of talent， IQ and hard work。 The book is easy-to-read， no fluff， filled with supporting evidences， and digs up interesting inferences from the widest of fields。It broadens your view to see what makes （view spoiler）[Bill Gates （hide spoiler）] successful， and （view spoiler）[Chris Langa A wonderful book， helping us take one step back to realise what "success" （in worldly definition， just to be clear！） is made up of， or more appropriately， to challenge the notion that it is not a simple additive sum of talent， IQ and hard work。 The book is easy-to-read， no fluff， filled with supporting evidences， and digs up interesting inferences from the widest of fields。It broadens your view to see what makes （view spoiler）[Bill Gates （hide spoiler）] successful， and （view spoiler）[Chris Langan （hide spoiler）] not， despite the latter having a higher IQ than Einstein。 It challenges your notions of definitions and stereotypes attributed to genes， by instead placing more value on your environment and circumstances。While the book stands out in terms of the presentation of the central idea， it takes it up too far to be unbalanced in its emphasis towards the end。 It draws a clear inference on why successful are successful （with limited roles in their rises） but does not bring a strong viewpoint on why others are unsuccessful or what limited roles did successful people play， which can easily make the reader to fall prey to believing that his/ her rise in the life， is merely a sum function of elements， circumstances around him and he/ she can play a minuscule role in it。Of course， this is not the takeaway for a smart reader， but a strong conclusion to the book was missing。 Hence my net score of 4。5 to the book。Highly recommended read， though， as you are bound to take a leaf out of it - either in terms of improvement points， or in just the sheer knowledge that not all is in your control and life has its own way of deciding the winners， or in Gladwell's words - Outliers。Medium | Instagram | Twitter 。。。more
Melissa Rhoads
，
So very interesting。 Enjoyed it。
Maisie
，