Quote from Introduction
“What the Israelites saw, from high on the ridge, was an intimidating giant. In reality, the very thing that gave the giant his size was also the source of his greatest weakness. There is an important lesson in that for battles with all kinds of giants. The powerful and the strong are not always what they seem” (Gladwell).
My response
This quote provides an excellent depiction of what the whole book is all about. And after reading this, I instantly have thought of different kinds of perceptions that we develop about people, things and some natural phenomena. Consider for example, how often misjudge things based on being they are. And there are many instances in the chapter which have such feelings, again and again, helping us to reflect on our own decisions and opinion to improve them.
Quote from Chapter One
“For some reason, this is a very difficult lesson for us to learn. We have, I think, a very rigid and limited definition of what an advantage is. We think of things as helpful that actually aren’t and think of other things as unhelpful that in reality leave us stronger and wiser” (Gladwell).
My response
Similar to the first quote that I mentioned with regards to the introduction, this quote from chapter one also builds on some similar thoughts and ideas. However, as the whole chapter highlights, with some examples, the different advantages of the disadvantages and different disadvantages of the advantages, the quote also depicts the same primary idea. And I strongly agree with this because I have often observed people making poor decisions based on their perceived advantages and disadvantages which are often not rationally calculated. This is what I will try to avoid it in my life!
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. David and Goliath : Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. New York, Little, Brown And Company, 2013.
