--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The successful are those who have been…" description: "\"The successful are those who have been given opportunities,\" — Malcolm Gladwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png" --- # The successful are those who have been given opportunities, ![“The successful are those who have been given opportunities,” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png) > “The successful are those who have been given 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 often depends on the opportunities one receives, not just personal effort. **In simple terms:** Opportunities shape success as much as effort. Key Takeaway Seek and create opportunities for yourself and others. Themes success opportunity inequality Mood analytical inspirational Type sociological motivational When to use this quote - education - career advancement - networking Key Concepts sociology economics Questions to Reflect On - How can you level the playing field? - What role does luck play in success? A Different Perspective Opportunity alone isn’t enough without preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-opportunities/) [Given opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-opportunity/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunities/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Outliers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outliers/) [Presence of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence-of-mind/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-given-5695349/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [“Outliers 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/outliers-are-those-who-have-been-given-opportunities-and-who-have-had/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [If you've been given opportunities then you have to create opportunities. If you're given knowledge by people, share your knowledge. If you were born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/if-you-ve-been-given-opportunities-then-you-have-to-create/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [I'm the daughter of one of the most long-standing senators in politics, and I have been given every opportunity that anyone could possibly dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-mccain/i-m-the-daughter-of-one-of-the-most-long-standing-senators-in/) [Meghan McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-mccain/) > [Every day we're given opportunities, some of us see them and some are too busy to notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-bermingham/every-day-we-re-given-opportunities-some-of-us-see-them-and-some-are/) [Rachael Bermingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-bermingham/) > [I think, as a woman, you do sort of have to work twice as hard, but I don't feel as if I wasn't given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-scafaria/i-think-as-a-woman-you-do-sort-of-have-to-work-twice-as-hard-but-i/) [Lorene Scafaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-scafaria/) > [People don't rise from nothing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-don-t-rise-from-nothing/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The hope with Tipping Point was it would help the reader understand that real change was possible. With Blink, I wanted to get people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-hope-with-tipping-point-was-it-would-help-the-reader-understand/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The key to good decision making is not knowledge... It's whether our work fulfills us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-key-to-good-decision-making-is-not-knowledge-it-s-whether-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/success-is-a-function-of-persistence-and-doggedness-and-the/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“But as is so often the case with outliers, buried in that setback was a golden opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/but-as-is-so-often-the-case-with-outliers-buried-in-that-setback-was/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The lesson here is very simple. But it is striking how often it is overlooked. We are so caught in the myths of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-lesson-here-is-very-simple-but-it-is-striking-how-often-it-is/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-can-unravel-the-logic-behind-who-succeeds-and-who-doesn-t/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/far-in-outliers-we-ve-seen-that-extraordinary-achievement-is-less/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [If there is one thing I learned by reading Epstein's "The Sports Gene" it is that world-class athletes are, by definition, abnormal: that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-there-is-one-thing-i-learned-by-reading-epstein-s-the-sports-gene/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## 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 Given quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [The old charters of Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Carolinas had given title to strips of territory extending from the Atlantic westward to the Pacific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bushnell-hart/the-old-charters-of-massachusetts-virginia-and-the-carolinas-had/) [Albert Bushnell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bushnell-hart/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [If life were like a competitive race, some people would be given a flying start and others would line up with weights tied to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mardy-grothe/if-life-were-like-a-competitive-race-some-people-would-be-given-a/) [Mardy Grothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mardy-grothe/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Music is one of the ways by which you can know everything which is going on in the world. You can feel... through music...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/music-is-one-of-the-ways-by-which-you-can-know-everything-which-is/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/) [Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) [Browse all 10,948 Given quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The successful are those who have been given opportunities,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-given-opportunities/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Given" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-given-opportunities/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/malcolm-gladwell-348_given_the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-g_1533338.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The successful are those who have been given opportunities,” — 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": "The successful are those who have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-given-opportunities/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-successful-are-those-who-have-been-given-opportunities/#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 } } ] } ```