Epidemic Quote by Malcolm Gladwell
““The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Tipping Point, 2000
Social movements rely on individuals with rare social skills to spread ideas widely.
In simple terms: Social epidemics need rare social talents.
Key Takeaway
Identify and empower socially gifted people.
Themes
social influence
network
leadership
Mood
optimistic
analytical
Type
observational
insightful
When to use this quote
- activism
- public health campaigns
- viral marketing
- grassroots organizing
Key Concepts
social capital
contagion
diffusion
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we cultivate these gifts in others?
- What happens when they are absent?
A Different Perspective
Not all movements have such individuals; overreliance can create bottlenecks.
![“We're all going to go crazy, living this epidemic [AIDS] every minute, while the rest of the world goes on out there, all around us, as if nothing is happening, going on with their own lives and not knowing what it's like, what we're going through. We're living through war, but where they're…” quote by Larry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/20b/larry-kramer-13922_aids_we-re-all-going-to-go-crazy-living-this_186318.jpg)
![“[Norden] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/565/malcolm-gladwell-348_barrels_norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bomb_62474.jpg)
