Outliers
Also known as Outliers: The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 book on the circumstances behind exceptional success.
At a glance
Key ideas
Accumulative advantage, The 10,000-Hour Rule, Nobody makes it alone …
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Malcolm Gladwell and Bill Gates
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- Gladwell argues that success depends on far more than talent and effort.
- He looks at why many elite Canadian hockey players are born early in the year, and how Bill Gates and the Beatles got their start.
- He makes much of the "10,000-Hour Rule", though the authors of the original study disputed his use of it.
- He also traces how culture, family and upbringing shape outcomes.
Why it matters
- A number-one bestseller built around the 10,000-Hour Rule; reviewers valued its questions and said it oversimplifies complex social phenomena.
Key facts
- Author
- Malcolm Gladwell1
- Published
- 18 Nov 2008, Little, Brown and Company1
- Sales
- Debuted at number one on The New York Times and The Globe and Mail bestseller lists; eleven weeks at number one in the Times1
Key ideas
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Accumulative advantage1
Small early edges, like a birthday near the cut-off, compound into large ones.
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The 10,000-Hour Rule1
World-class skill takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice.
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Nobody makes it alone1
Talent is not enough: Oppenheimer's upbringing helped him in ways Christopher Langan's never did.
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Cultural legacy1
Inherited culture shapes things like maths performance and cockpit communication.
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Time in school1
Students' success tracks the time spent in school; summer holidays set back poorer students.
Connections
Links
Sources
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