Important Quotes: Explained
PART 1
1. “Chris Langan’s experiences at Reed and Montana State represented a turning point in his life. As a child, he had dreamt of becoming an academic. He should have gotten a PhD; universities are institutes structured, in large part, for people with his kind of deep intellectual interests and curiosity.” (pg. 94) While Chris Langan was blessed with the mind of a scholar, his opportunities were squandered by outer circumstances. With his mother missing a deadline on his financial aid forms and the two schools he attended reprimanding him for minor offenses, Langan's education was constantly met with roadblocks due to his feeble status on the financial level.
PART 2
1. “Here we have two very brilliant young student, each of whom runs into a problem that imperils his college career. Langan’s mother missed a deadline for his financial aid. Oppenheimer has tried to poison his tutor. To continue on, they are required to plead their cases to authority. And what happens? Langan gets his scholarship taken away, and Oppenheimer gets sent to a psychiatrist. Oppenheimer and Langan might both be geniuses, but in other ways, they could not be more different.” (pg. 98) Both Langan and Oppenheimer were on similar levels of intelligence. Langan, however, was at a major disadvantage compared to Oppenheimer. While Oppenheimer came from a wealthy and well-off background, Langan struggled to get by on a daily basis. Wealth plays largely into how one expresses their intelligence, according to Gladwell. Through the comparison of these similar young men, he proves that while Oppenheimer was possibly mentally unstable, he still was offered better opportunities than Langan due to his family's financial success.
2. “Would Oppenheimer have lost his scholarship at Reed? Would he have been unable to convince his professors to move his classes to the afternoon? Of course not. And that’s not because he was smarter than Chris Langan. It’s because he possessed the kind of savvy that allowed him to get what he wanted from the world.” (pg. 100) In another comparison between Oppenheimer and Langan, Galdwell depicts a scenario in which he puts Oppenheimer in the shoes of Langan. His theory states that if it were Oppenheimer on the brink of losing his scholarship or missing his morning classes, the situation would have panned out in a completely different manner. Instead, Gladwell suggests that Oppenheimer would have prevailed through such hardships because he possessed different qualities to his personality that would have bettered him in the environment that Langan faced.
PART 3
1. “When we talk about the advantages of class, Lareau argues, this is in large part what we mean. Alex Williams is better off than Katie Brindle because he’s wealthier and because he goes to a better school, but also because – and perhaps this is even more critical – the sense of entitlement that he has been taught is an attitude perfectly suited to succeeding in the modern world.” (pg. 108) Gladwell suggests that those with wealth have many more opportunities compared to those who aren't as well-off. In the case of Alex WIlliams and Katie Brindle, race or gender does not plat a role in how successful they are. Rather, "the sense of entitlement" that was learned and applied to Alex's lifestyle allows him to move forward in his life, father past those who are not as financially stable.
PART 4
1. “’It’s the culture you find yourself in that determines that. The issue with Chris is that he was always too bored to actually sit there and listen to his teachers. If someone had recognized his intelligence and if he was from a family where there was some kind of value on education, they would have made sure he wasn’t bored.’” (pg. 110) Through the quote of Chris Langan's own brother, Gladwell depicts a common occurrence in the education system. While those with bright minds who literally cannot afford to better education sit in classes in bordem and are not offered the opportunities tot let their bright minds soar, others who can physically produce some sort of benefit to the education system are nurtured with care and only those students are allowed to blossom into gifted minds as successful as Oppenheimer.
PART 5
1. “In fact, the scores on those four dimensions are so different as to make you think you are looking at two different species of humans. You aren’t, of course. You’re simply seeing the difference between those schooled by their families to present their best face to the world, and those denied that experience.” (pg. 112) Gladwell uses the Terman study to present an idea to his readers. This idea is based around the fact that those who's families are willing and able to support their child's pursuit of success, academically or even socially, eventually end up in a more favorable position compared to the children who are not as lucky to be able to thrive in such an environment, but rather must fend for themselves and learn life skills almost completely on their own.
2. "The plain truth of the Terman study, however, is that in the end almost none of the genius children from the lowest social and economic class ended up making a name for themselves.” (pg. 112) Gladwell's conclusion to the study defines his thesis statement throughout Chapter 4, that those who are not given equal opportunities to those who are well-off in the world eventually end up as "nobodies" in the world, no matter what their academic aptitude may be. The Terman study verifies his belief that the better off you are financially and socially, the more success they find in their lives.
PART 6
1. “He’d (Langan) had to make his way alone, and no one – not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses – ever makes it alone.” (pg. 115) Gladwell ends the chapter on the note that no one can make it on their own, that each child, each student, each person needs someone to help guide them along the way because no successful being ever made it on their own merits. Gladwell sums up his theory by blatantly stating that if no one is there to help and support you, no matter how smart, talented, or wealthy you may be, people need someone to help them along their journey to success. However, those who are wealthier and are presented with a better social setting are bound to find more help that others who are not as lucky.
1. “Chris Langan’s experiences at Reed and Montana State represented a turning point in his life. As a child, he had dreamt of becoming an academic. He should have gotten a PhD; universities are institutes structured, in large part, for people with his kind of deep intellectual interests and curiosity.” (pg. 94) While Chris Langan was blessed with the mind of a scholar, his opportunities were squandered by outer circumstances. With his mother missing a deadline on his financial aid forms and the two schools he attended reprimanding him for minor offenses, Langan's education was constantly met with roadblocks due to his feeble status on the financial level.
PART 2
1. “Here we have two very brilliant young student, each of whom runs into a problem that imperils his college career. Langan’s mother missed a deadline for his financial aid. Oppenheimer has tried to poison his tutor. To continue on, they are required to plead their cases to authority. And what happens? Langan gets his scholarship taken away, and Oppenheimer gets sent to a psychiatrist. Oppenheimer and Langan might both be geniuses, but in other ways, they could not be more different.” (pg. 98) Both Langan and Oppenheimer were on similar levels of intelligence. Langan, however, was at a major disadvantage compared to Oppenheimer. While Oppenheimer came from a wealthy and well-off background, Langan struggled to get by on a daily basis. Wealth plays largely into how one expresses their intelligence, according to Gladwell. Through the comparison of these similar young men, he proves that while Oppenheimer was possibly mentally unstable, he still was offered better opportunities than Langan due to his family's financial success.
2. “Would Oppenheimer have lost his scholarship at Reed? Would he have been unable to convince his professors to move his classes to the afternoon? Of course not. And that’s not because he was smarter than Chris Langan. It’s because he possessed the kind of savvy that allowed him to get what he wanted from the world.” (pg. 100) In another comparison between Oppenheimer and Langan, Galdwell depicts a scenario in which he puts Oppenheimer in the shoes of Langan. His theory states that if it were Oppenheimer on the brink of losing his scholarship or missing his morning classes, the situation would have panned out in a completely different manner. Instead, Gladwell suggests that Oppenheimer would have prevailed through such hardships because he possessed different qualities to his personality that would have bettered him in the environment that Langan faced.
PART 3
1. “When we talk about the advantages of class, Lareau argues, this is in large part what we mean. Alex Williams is better off than Katie Brindle because he’s wealthier and because he goes to a better school, but also because – and perhaps this is even more critical – the sense of entitlement that he has been taught is an attitude perfectly suited to succeeding in the modern world.” (pg. 108) Gladwell suggests that those with wealth have many more opportunities compared to those who aren't as well-off. In the case of Alex WIlliams and Katie Brindle, race or gender does not plat a role in how successful they are. Rather, "the sense of entitlement" that was learned and applied to Alex's lifestyle allows him to move forward in his life, father past those who are not as financially stable.
PART 4
1. “’It’s the culture you find yourself in that determines that. The issue with Chris is that he was always too bored to actually sit there and listen to his teachers. If someone had recognized his intelligence and if he was from a family where there was some kind of value on education, they would have made sure he wasn’t bored.’” (pg. 110) Through the quote of Chris Langan's own brother, Gladwell depicts a common occurrence in the education system. While those with bright minds who literally cannot afford to better education sit in classes in bordem and are not offered the opportunities tot let their bright minds soar, others who can physically produce some sort of benefit to the education system are nurtured with care and only those students are allowed to blossom into gifted minds as successful as Oppenheimer.
PART 5
1. “In fact, the scores on those four dimensions are so different as to make you think you are looking at two different species of humans. You aren’t, of course. You’re simply seeing the difference between those schooled by their families to present their best face to the world, and those denied that experience.” (pg. 112) Gladwell uses the Terman study to present an idea to his readers. This idea is based around the fact that those who's families are willing and able to support their child's pursuit of success, academically or even socially, eventually end up in a more favorable position compared to the children who are not as lucky to be able to thrive in such an environment, but rather must fend for themselves and learn life skills almost completely on their own.
2. "The plain truth of the Terman study, however, is that in the end almost none of the genius children from the lowest social and economic class ended up making a name for themselves.” (pg. 112) Gladwell's conclusion to the study defines his thesis statement throughout Chapter 4, that those who are not given equal opportunities to those who are well-off in the world eventually end up as "nobodies" in the world, no matter what their academic aptitude may be. The Terman study verifies his belief that the better off you are financially and socially, the more success they find in their lives.
PART 6
1. “He’d (Langan) had to make his way alone, and no one – not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses – ever makes it alone.” (pg. 115) Gladwell ends the chapter on the note that no one can make it on their own, that each child, each student, each person needs someone to help guide them along the way because no successful being ever made it on their own merits. Gladwell sums up his theory by blatantly stating that if no one is there to help and support you, no matter how smart, talented, or wealthy you may be, people need someone to help them along their journey to success. However, those who are wealthier and are presented with a better social setting are bound to find more help that others who are not as lucky.
Abbie Adams