---
title: "3 People Authority Quotes By Malcolm Gladwell"
description: "3 People Authority quotes by Malcolm Gladwell. Plus more from Malcolm Gladwell and more People Authority sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/malcolm-gladwell-348_three-things_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_1564324.jpg"
---

> [“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters—first and foremost—how they behave. This is called the “principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-of-us-to-behave-it-matters/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/malcolm-gladwell-348_three-things_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_1564324.jpg)

> [“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters - first and foremost - how they behave. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-of-us-to-behave-it-matters-2/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/malcolm-gladwell-348_legitimacy_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2929857.jpg)

> [When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters-first and foremost-how they behave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-of-us-to-behave-it-matters-3/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/malcolm-gladwell-348_authority_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2974441.png)

## More by Malcolm Gladwell

> [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/#itemlist",
            "name": "3 People Authority Quotes By Malcolm Gladwell",
            "numberOfItems": 3,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters—first and foremost—how they behave. This is called the “principle of legitimacy,” and legitimacy is based on three things. First of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice—that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same as the rules today. And third, the authority has to be fair. It can’t treat one group differently from another. All good parents understand these three principles implicitly. If you want to stop little Johnnie from hitting his sister, you can’t look away one time and scream at him another. You can’t treat his sister differently when she hits him. And if he says he really didn’t hit his sister, you have to give him a chance to explain himself. How you punish is as important as the act of punishing itself.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Malcolm Gladwell"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-of-us-to-behave-it-matters/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/malcolm-gladwell-348_three-things_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_1564324.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/malcolm-gladwell-348_three-things_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_1564324.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/malcolm-gladwell-348_three-things_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_1564324.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters—first and foremost—how they behave. This…” — Malcolm Gladwell",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters - first and foremost - how they behave. This is called the \"principle of legitimacy\", and legitimacy is based on three things. First of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice - that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same as the rules today. And third, the authority has to be fair. It can't treat one group differently from another.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Malcolm Gladwell"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-of-us-to-behave-it-matters-2/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/malcolm-gladwell-348_legitimacy_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2929857.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/malcolm-gladwell-348_legitimacy_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2929857.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/malcolm-gladwell-348_legitimacy_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2929857.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters - first and foremost - how they behave…” — Malcolm Gladwell",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters-first and foremost-how they behave.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Malcolm Gladwell"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-of-us-to-behave-it-matters-3/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/malcolm-gladwell-348_authority_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2974441.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/malcolm-gladwell-348_authority_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2974441.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/malcolm-gladwell-348_authority_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_2974441.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters-first and foremost-how they behave.” — Malcolm Gladwell",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/",
            "name": "People Authority Quotes by Malcolm Gladwell",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/malcolm-gladwell-348_three-things_when-people-in-authority-want-the-rest-o_1564324.jpg"
            },
            "description": "3 People Authority quotes by Malcolm Gladwell. Plus more from Malcolm Gladwell and more People Authority sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People Authority",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Malcolm Gladwell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-authority/malcolm-gladwell/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```