Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
11 quotes
"The entire principle of a blind taste test was ridiculous. They shouldn't have cared so much that they were losing blind taste tests with old Coke, and we shouldn't at all be surprised that Pepsi's dominance in blind taste tests never translated to much in the real world. Why not? Because in the real world, no one ever drinks Coca-Cola blind."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"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."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"The power of knowing, in that first two seconds, is not a gift given magically to a fortunate few. It is an ability that we can all cultivate for ourselves."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"Insight is not a lightbulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"In the general American population, 3.9 percent of adult men are six foot two or taller. Among my CEO sample, almost a third were six foot two or taller."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"I've been in auditions without screens, and I can assure you that I was prejudiced. I began to listen with my eyes, and there is no way that your eyes don't affect your judgement. The only true way to listen is with your ears and your heart. (p.251)"
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"[Research] suggests that what we think of as free will is largely an illusion: much of the time, we are simply operating on automatic pilot, and the way we think and act – and how well we think and act on the spur of the moment – are a lot more susceptible to outside influences than we realize."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"Bad improvisers block action, often with a high degree of skill. Good improvisers develop action."(p.115)"
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"Testers for 7-Up consistently found consumers would report more lemon flavor in their product if they added 15% more yellow coloring TO THE PACKAGE."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of many auditions, says. "Other people look awful when they play but sound great. Other people have that belabored look when they play, but you can't hear it in the sound. There is always this dissonance between what you see and hear" (p.251)."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
"In life, most of us are highly skilled at suppressing action. All the improvisation teacher has to do is to reverse this skill and he creates very ‘gifted’ improvisers. Bad improvisers block action, often with a high degree of skill. Good improvisers develop action."
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking