--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what truly distinguishes their…" description: "\"“But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities.”\" — Malcolm Gladwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png" --- # But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their… ![“But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png) > ““But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities.”” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success stems more from unique chances than innate skill. **In simple terms:** Opportunities matter more than talent. Key Takeaway Seek and create opportunities. Themes success opportunity inequality Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - education policy - entrepreneurship - social mobility Key Concepts social capital luck structural advantage Questions to Reflect On - How can we level the playing field? - What opportunities can you create? A Different Perspective Opportunities are not equally accessible to all. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distinguishes Histories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguishes-histories-5342216/) [Extraordinary Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-opportunities-682311/) [Extraordinary Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-talent-294775/) [Histories Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/histories-extraordinary-5342217/) [Talent Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-extraordinary-2531288/) ## Related quotes > [“extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/extraordinary-opportunities-and-cultural-legacies-that-allow-them-to/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“genius is much more than high intelligence, innate talent, extraordinary work ethic, or uncanny luck, but rather a composite manifestation; a synthesis of very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/genius-is-much-more-than-high-intelligence-innate-talent/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [Exceptional talent and extraordinary creativity are irrelevant! It's what you do with what little you have that counts big time in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-j-zelinski/exceptional-talent-and-extraordinary-creativity-are-irrelevant-it-s/) [Ernie J Zelinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-j-zelinski/) > [“With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fowell-buxton/with-ordinary-talent-and-extraordinary-perseverance-all-things-are/) [Thomas Fowell Buxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fowell-buxton/) > [“Don’t ever think you’re useless just because someone your age is doing something extraordinary. Talent differs, and so does timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ojingiri-hannah/don-t-ever-think-you-re-useless-just-because-someone-your-age-is/) [Ojingiri Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ojingiri-hannah/) > [People say to me, 'Well, how do you direct Meryl Streep?' You're not wandering over to Meryl telling her how to act. She's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wells/people-say-to-me-well-how-do-you-direct-meryl-streep-you-re-not/) [John Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wells/) > [Nell Zink is a writer of extraordinary talent and range. Her work insistently raises the possibility that the world is larger and stranger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/nell-zink-is-a-writer-of-extraordinary-talent-and-range-her-work/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Pogba is an extraordinary talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/pogba-is-an-extraordinary-talent/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [“extraordinary talent and civility were not mutually exclusive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-pepin/extraordinary-talent-and-civility-were-not-mutually-exclusive/) [Jacque Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-pepin/) > [I wish more people would take the extraordinary talent they have and just let their id go because that's what we discovered. We discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-wish-more-people-would-take-the-extraordinary-talent-they-have-and/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [If, by chance, someone among those men of extraordinary talent is found who has firmness of soul and who refuses to yield to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/if-by-chance-someone-among-those-men-of-extraordinary-talent-is-found/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The result of being a Kennedy is that I have extraordinary opportunities that I wouldn't otherwise have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/the-result-of-being-a-kennedy-is-that-i-have-extraordinary/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [“A clear sense of purpose aligned with your goals and core values directs your attention to extraordinary opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-connor/a-clear-sense-of-purpose-aligned-with-your-goals-and-core-values/) [Julie Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-connor/) > [“It is all too often forgotten that the whole point of a city is to bring people together, to facilitate interaction, and thereby to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-west/it-is-all-too-often-forgotten-that-the-whole-point-of-a-city-is-to/) [Geoffrey West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-west/) > [The cloud is one of the most extraordinary opportunities of our lifetime. If we're not investing now, we'll rue the day we didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-porat/the-cloud-is-one-of-the-most-extraordinary-opportunities-of-our/) [Ruth Porat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-porat/) ## 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/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More Extraordinary Talent quotes > [“Don’t ever think you’re useless just because someone your age is doing something extraordinary. Talent differs, and so does timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ojingiri-hannah/don-t-ever-think-you-re-useless-just-because-someone-your-age-is/) [Ojingiri Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ojingiri-hannah/) > [I wish more people would take the extraordinary talent they have and just let their id go because that's what we discovered. We discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-wish-more-people-would-take-the-extraordinary-talent-they-have-and/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [“extraordinary talent and civility were not mutually exclusive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-pepin/extraordinary-talent-and-civility-were-not-mutually-exclusive/) [Jacque Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-pepin/) > [Pogba is an extraordinary talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/pogba-is-an-extraordinary-talent/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [Nell Zink is a writer of extraordinary talent and range. Her work insistently raises the possibility that the world is larger and stranger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/nell-zink-is-a-writer-of-extraordinary-talent-and-range-her-work/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [People say to me, 'Well, how do you direct Meryl Streep?' You're not wandering over to Meryl telling her how to act. She's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wells/people-say-to-me-well-how-do-you-direct-meryl-streep-you-re-not/) [John Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wells/) > [If, by chance, someone among those men of extraordinary talent is found who has firmness of soul and who refuses to yield to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/if-by-chance-someone-among-those-men-of-extraordinary-talent-is-found/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) [Browse all 8 Extraordinary Talent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-talent-294775/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histories-is-not-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Extraordinary Talent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histories-is-not-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/768/malcolm-gladwell-348_extraordinary-talent_but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histo_1471741.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But what truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary…” — Malcolm Gladwell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But what truly distinguishes their histories...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histories-is-not-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/but-what-truly-distinguishes-their-histories-is-not-their/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```