Quote 1

In the end, the Impressionists make the right choice, which is one of the reasons their paintings hang in every major art museum in the world. But this same dilemma comes up again and again in our own lives, and often we don’t choose so wisely.

This quotation appears in Part One, Chapter Three and supports Gladwell’s argument that choosing the more prestigious option is not always advantageous. Society tends to correlate prestige with value. However, rather than unquestioningly conforming to rigid conventions, the Impressionists achieved success because they broke away from those conventions and established their own rules. When the Impressionists struck out on their own, they were no longer confined solely to the Salon. This move made their paintings accessible to more people and is a large part of why they are so famous today.

Gladwell notes that the Impressionists were responsible for their own success but acknowledges that many people today are not willing to take a similar risk. Most people assume that resources exist to continually improve lives. However, choosing the more prestigious option can backfire in the end. Unlike the Impressionists, many people default to selecting a prestigious, rather than an advantageous, option, which ultimately limits their success.

Quote 2

Parents tell their children to go to the best schools they possibly can, on the grounds that the best schools will allow them to do whatever they wish.

This quotation appears in Part One, Chapter Three and is a continuation of Gladwell’s argument that attending a school because it is prestigious is not always advantageous for students. Society promotes the misconception that students who go to the best schools will be able to do whatever they want. Gladwell argues that many times, these students end up as “Little Fish in a Big Pond” and become overwhelmed by the competitive nature. People are hesitant to let go of the idea that Ivy League schools offer students some type of advantage. However, Gladwell argues that oftentimes, the “little pond” is the better choice because students have a better chance of succeeding. This argument aligns with Gladwell's larger point that it is important to think about options and ideas critically, especially when they are the prevailing wisdom. Gladwell suggests that thinking around a problem, or problematizing what seems to be cast in stone can lead to new options and better outcomes.

Quote 3

Is Wilma Derksen more—or less—of a hero than Mike Reynolds? It is tempting to ask that question. But it is not right: Each acted out of the best of intentions and chose a deeply courageous path.

This quote appears in Part Three, Chapter Eight as Gladwell analyzes the different responses Wilma Derksen and Mike Reynolds had to their daughters’ murders. Both people respond to their respective tragedies in significantly different ways. Reynolds exerts his influence in the community to make sure that the men who killed his daughter are put in jail for a long time. The result of Reynolds’s action is the Three Strikes Law, which reconfigures California’s prison system. Reynolds turns his daughter’s murder into a crusade to make the community safer for everyone. Gladwell argues that Reynolds’s work negatively affected the state’s overall crime rate. 

Unlike Reynolds, Derksen chose to let go of her anger so she could move on with her life. Derksen does not feel the need to focus on finding her daughter’s killer because the overall outcome cannot be changed. Gladwell argues that Derksen’s response is more effective because it demonstrates a better understanding of power, specifically the legal system’s power because it cannot bring her daughter back. However, Gladwell asserts that both Derksen and Reynolds were grieving parents who did the best they could with what they had.