Outliers cover art

Outliers

The Story of Success

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Outliers

By: Malcolm Gladwell
Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.99

Buy Now for $21.99

About this listen

 From the bestselling author of The Bomber Mafia, learn what sets high achievers apart—from Bill Gates to the Beatles—in this seminal work from "a singular talent" (New York Times Book Review).

In this stunning book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"—the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate. Anthropology Career Success Communication & Social Skills Decision-Making & Problem Solving Personal Development Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Inspiring Thought-Provoking Career Leadership Business Mathematics Aviation Success Health

Critic Reviews

"In the vast world of nonfiction writing, Malcolm Gladwell is as close to a singular talent as exists today...Outliers is a pleasure to read and leaves you mulling over its inventive theories for days afterward."—David Leonhardt, New York Times Book Review
"The explosively entertaining Outliers might be Gladwell's best and most useful work yet...There are both brilliant yarns and life lessons here: Outliers is riveting science, self-help, and entertainment, all in one book."—Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly
"No other book I read this year combines such a distinctive prose style with truly thought-provoking content. Gladwell writes with a high degree of dazzle but at the same time remains as clear and direct as even Strunk or White could hope for."—Atlanta Journal Constitution
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this even though it was short. I loved the aviation chapter and the last chapter at the very with a personal touch was great. I listened to every word and the narration was on point. I'd listen to this again for sure.

Such an entertaining book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Highly recommend. A different angle to success and how important are external factors, time period, being the right person at the right time.

Great read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book as it validates one of my deeply held beliefs that given the right opportunity many more of us have the potential to become true outliers. It would do well to make our great achievers acknowledge that their success isn't just their own making & that the contribution of a whole bunch of others (or may be that of an entire generation) needs to be acknowledged, much the same way as Malcolm Gladwell himself acknowledges how his past contributed to his own achievements.

Worth reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of Outliers to be better than the print version?

Yes, only because malcolm Gladwell read it

What was one of the most memorable moments of Outliers?

several - but mostly how each example examined was done so thoroughly, which challanged alot of my perceptions

Have you listened to any of Malcolm Gladwell’s other performances? How does this one compare?

not at this stage - but will listen to much more

Any additional comments?

BUY THIS !!

fantastic - truly enlightnening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Just awesome and fascinating. Great great book. So many fantastic parts to it. Hard work and luck equal success. Worth a read

Awesome book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
with so much technology taking over more and more aspects of our life, this book will make sure you are there to find the opportunities and work hard

Must read in the current economic state

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Just read it. Stop debating. You won't regret it. Malcom Gladwell hits it out of the Park as usual.

Must read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
enjoyed every bit of the book and great analysis and theory to prove that every human being has the ability to perform at very high level if he/she gets the right direction and opportunities at right time.

Amazing book to read and enjoyed every bit

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was excellent and captivating read. I love that it's read by the man himself.

Great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Those that are given small incremental advantages consistently will be the most successful individuals in their industries.

Gladwell takes the reader on a narrative journey spanning hundreds of years exploring the cultural context of those that are outliers.

This is a phenomenal book that I highly recommend

Talent is distributed evenly. Opportunity is not

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.