--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't know where our first impressions…" description: "\"We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility.\" — Malcolm Gladwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/malcolm-gladwell-348_appreciate_we-don-t-know-where-our-first-impression_678608.png" --- # We don't know where our first impressions come from or… ![“We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/malcolm-gladwell-348_appreciate_we-don-t-know-where-our-first-impression_678608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/malcolm-gladwell-348_appreciate_we-don-t-know-where-our-first-impression_678608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/malcolm-gladwell-348_appreciate_we-don-t-know-where-our-first-impression_678608.png) > “We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility.” [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. Our initial judgments are formed unconsciously and are fragile, so we often fail to recognize their limits. **In simple terms:** First impressions are unconscious and fragile. Key Takeaway Question and test your gut reactions. Themes psychology perception bias fragility Mood curious thoughtful Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - job interviews - first meetings - media consumption - decision making Key Concepts cognitive bias unconscious processing Questions to Reflect On - How can you verify an initial judgment? - What factors might distort your first impression? A Different Perspective Our impressions can be shaped by hidden influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First impressions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-impressions/) [Fragility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragility/) ## Related quotes > [Whenever we have something that we are good at--something we care about--that experience and passion fundamentally change the nature of our first impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/whenever-we-have-something-that-we-are-good-at-something-we-care/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The answer is that we are not helpless in the face of our first impressions. They may bubble up from the unconscious - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-answer-is-that-we-are-not-helpless-in-the-face-of-our-first/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People tend to hold on to their first impressions - that's why those first descriptions can be so important. You don't even necessarily look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/people-tend-to-hold-on-to-their-first-impressions-that-s-why-those/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [“First impressions stick. That’s why it’s so important that we do tedious things like remember to wear deodorant, brush our teeth, and insert commas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/first-impressions-stick-that-s-why-it-s-so-important-that-we-do/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [First impressions are very important, so make sure to be weird right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-impressions-are-very-important-so-make-sure-to-be-weird-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The old aphorisms are basically sound. First impressions are lasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-redmon-fauset/the-old-aphorisms-are-basically-sound-first-impressions-are-lasting/) [Jessie Redmon Fauset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-redmon-fauset/) > [When I write notes in my journal, I'm just trying to scribble down as much as possible. Later on, I decide whether to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/when-i-write-notes-in-my-journal-i-m-just-trying-to-scribble-down-as/) [Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/) > [First impressions are often wrong since they are based on past experience, your current mood, the surroundings, or appearances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-impressions-are-often-wrong-since-they-are-based-on-past/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-ever-noticed-this-but-first-impressions-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like a lot of people and am genuinely nice to everyone I meet. First impressions are everything. And I know that. You should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-a-lot-of-people-and-am-genuinely-nice-to-everyone-i-meet-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For thirty years now I have been studying my fellow-men. I do not know very much about them. I should certainly hesitate to engage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/for-thirty-years-now-i-have-been-studying-my-fellow-men-i-do-not-know/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“First impressions are rarely worth preserving. Men typically fall short of our expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renate-linnenkoper/first-impressions-are-rarely-worth-preserving-men-typically-fall/) Renate Linnenkoper > [“We are each a work in progress—special and unique. By learning and living the “Art of First Impressions,” you can design a masterpiece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-are-each-a-work-in-progress-special-and-unique-by-learning-and/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [“Good first impressions…are good for business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cs-edit/good-first-impressions-are-good-for-business/) CS-Edit > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. 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I think we were able to appreciate the interplay, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/this-time-there-were-no-drugs-involved-the-hours-were-completely/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [It's great at this stage in my life to still be in the running, that people appreciate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/it-s-great-at-this-stage-in-my-life-to-still-be-in-the-running-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Love is too wonderful for us but why we often times do not ever appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamad-idrus/love-is-too-wonderful-for-us-but-why-we-often-times-do-not-ever/) [Mohamad Idrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamad-idrus/) > [I think the most important thing is to stay hopeful, to believe wonderful things are possible and do your best. 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