--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: far in Outliers, we’ve seen that…" description: "\"“far in Outliers, we’ve seen that extraordinary achievement is less about talent than it is about opportunity. In this chapter, I want to try to dig de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/malcolm-gladwell-348_dig-deep_far-in-outliers-we-ve-seen-that-extraord_2606223.png" --- # far in Outliers, we’ve seen that extraordinary achievement… ![“far in Outliers, we’ve seen that extraordinary achievement is less about talent than it is about opportunity. In this chapter, I want to try to dig deeper into why that’s the case by looking at the outlier in its purest and most distilled form—the genius. For years, we’ve taken our” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/malcolm-gladwell-348_dig-deep_far-in-outliers-we-ve-seen-that-extraord_2606223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/malcolm-gladwell-348_dig-deep_far-in-outliers-we-ve-seen-that-extraord_2606223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/malcolm-gladwell-348_dig-deep_far-in-outliers-we-ve-seen-that-extraord_2606223.png) > ““far in Outliers, we’ve seen that extraordinary achievement is less about talent than it is about opportunity. In this chapter, I want to try to dig deeper into why that’s the case by looking at the outlier in its purest and most distilled form—the genius. For years, we’ve taken our”” [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. Extraordinary success depends more on rare opportunities than innate talent, especially for geniuses. **In simple terms:** Success often hinges on chance, not just skill. Key Takeaway Seek and create opportunities. Themes talent opportunity success genius Mood reflective analytical Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - education - innovation - networking Key Concepts sociology psychology economics Questions to Reflect On - What opportunities have you missed? - How can you create your own chances? A Different Perspective Opportunity alone may not guarantee success without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Extraordinary achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-achievement/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Outlier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlier/) [Outliers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outliers/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“Extraordinary achievement is less about talent than it is about opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/extraordinary-achievement-is-less-about-talent-than-it-is-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Superstar lawyers and math whizzes and software entrepreneurs appear at first blush to lie outside ordinary experience. But they don't. They are products of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/superstar-lawyers-and-math-whizzes-and-software-entrepreneurs-appear/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Outlier are those who have been given opportunities-- -and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/outlier-are-those-who-have-been-given-opportunities-and-who-have-had/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [My point is I'm kind of an outlier. For whatever reason, the success still blows my mind - that I'm able to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-bruno/my-point-is-i-m-kind-of-an-outlier-for-whatever-reason-the-success/) [Aaron Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-bruno/) > [“All statistics have outliers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/all-statistics-have-outliers/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [When you get into statistical analysis, you don't really expect to achieve fame. Or to become an Internet meme. Or be parodied by 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/when-you-get-into-statistical-analysis-you-don-t-really-expect-to/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [The easiest way to thrive as an outlier is to avoid being one. At least among your most treasured peers. Surround yourself with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easiest-way-to-thrive-as-an-outlier-is-to-avoid-being-one-at/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Achievement is talent plus preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/achievement-is-talent-plus-preparation/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Achievement is talent plus preparation. The problem with this view is that the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/achievement-is-talent-plus-preparation-the-problem-with-this-view-is/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“For almost a generation, psychologists around the world have been engaged in a spirited debate over a question that most of us would consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/for-almost-a-generation-psychologists-around-the-world-have-been/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“his becoming a true outlier, we have to know a lot more about him than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/his-becoming-a-true-outlier-we-have-to-know-a-lot-more-about-him-than/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Beauty is a form of Genius--is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-a-form-of-genius-is-higher-indeed-than-genius-as-it-needs-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-a-form-of-genius-is-higher-indeed-than-genius-as-it-needs/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“And Beauty is a form of Genius - is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/and-beauty-is-a-form-of-genius-is-higher-indeed-than-genius-as-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The greatest form of genius is that which isn’t noticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-nicholson/the-greatest-form-of-genius-is-that-which-isn-t-noticed/) [Scott Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-nicholson/) ## 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. 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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 Dig deep quotes > [“Personally, I’m a mess of conflicting impulses—I’m independent and greedy and I also want to belong and share and be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/personally-i-m-a-mess-of-conflicting-impulses-i-m-independent-and/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [Go get your shovel and we'll dig a deep hole. To bury the castle, bury the castle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramore/go-get-your-shovel-and-we-ll-dig-a-deep-hole-to-bury-the-castle-bury/) [Paramore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramore/) > [Folks may not be familiar with Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, but they live with the effects of PBMs almost every time they go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/folks-may-not-be-familiar-with-pharmacy-benefit-managers-or-pbms-but/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [I like characters with problems. I like to understand them... To play alcoholics, fetishists, strange girls, you have to dig deep within yourself. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-trintignant/i-like-characters-with-problems-i-like-to-understand-them-to-play/) Marie Trintignant > [You dig deeper and it gets more and more complicated, and you get confused, and it's tricky and it's hard, but... It is beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/you-dig-deeper-and-it-gets-more-and-more-complicated-and-you-get/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [“Through my willingness to train every day and to dig deep in the after-class ukemi sessions, over time I earned the respect and friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-holiday/through-my-willingness-to-train-every-day-and-to-dig-deep-in-the/) [Linda Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-holiday/) > [To mend a broken heart sometimes you gotta be a archaeologist, you have to dig deep and search for what still remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-degroff/to-mend-a-broken-heart-sometimes-you-gotta-be-a-archaeologist-you/) Brian DeGroff > [“From this point forward, you don’t even know how to quit in life.” ~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/from-this-point-forward-you-don-t-even-know-how-to-quit-in-life-aaron/) [Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/) > [You know, the benefit in life is to say, 'Maybe you made a mistake, let's dig deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/you-know-the-benefit-in-life-is-to-say-maybe-you-made-a-mistake-let-s/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [In this digital world, web shows are a total game changer. Compared to films, they allow you to have far more choices to collaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupriya-goenka/in-this-digital-world-web-shows-are-a-total-game-changer-compared-to/) [Anupriya Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupriya-goenka/) > [“There was a time when men were gods. But they abused their divine powers so much that Lord Brahma, the master of all gods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virend-singh/there-was-a-time-when-men-were-gods-but-they-abused-their-divine/) Virend Singh > [“Dig deep for you to discover the misery of success – success has miseries that are hidden in failure and those miseries cannot befriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/dig-deep-for-you-to-discover-the-misery-of-success-success-has/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [“I'm about to as you a favor." And I'm about to tell you no." "It's not a make-out scene. 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Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-b-jones/) > [I need to have people doubting me, because that's when you dig deep and find out what you're made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-peavy/i-need-to-have-people-doubting-me-because-that-s-when-you-dig-deep/) [Jake Peavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-peavy/) > [“I struggle with enormous discrepancies: between the reality of motherhood and the image of it, between my love for my home and the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-mann/i-struggle-with-enormous-discrepancies-between-the-reality-of/) [Sally Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-mann/) Browse all 322 Dig deep quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“far in Outliers, we’ve seen that extraordinary achievement is less about talent than it is about opportunity. 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