Comments on: Luck did not play a big part in Bill Gates' success

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:03:43 +0000

THANK YOU. That was one thing in Outliers that really annoyed me. Too much credit was given to luck, and I’ve gotten in so many arguments over this. I am with you when you say that luck isn’t a huge factor. Everyone has some type of experience or occurrence that is special and unique. It’s whether you recognize it and do something with it that makes all the difference.

But I wouldn’t mind reading Wiseman and how luck can be learned. Although I’m skeptical, it sounds interesting.

By: Leszek Cyfer

Leszek Cyfer — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:19:39 +0000

Richard Wiseman in his research on luck found that it too can be learned. Read “Luck Factor”

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:52:58 +0000

luck isn’t the differentiator when the context is a bunch of kids who by definition were already lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. but luck is the differentiator when you put bill in the context of all the other clever people who have improved as much as he has in other eras, where their talent didn’t align as sweetly with the environment. whichever way you look at it, both play a part.
i believe that following your principles relegates luck to a bit-part player, instead giving you majority control. whereas relying on luck alone is like playing the lottery.

By: EL AZDI TAHA

EL AZDI TAHA — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:00:09 +0000

First, I want to say that I’m not good at English. I’m from Morocco, I’m not a native English speaker, so I hope you can understand what I’m going to write.

I really appreciate the way you make everything clear and always succeed in “materializing” complex and abstract subjects like the 8 principles of success and even the concept of SUCCESS itself. Your original method of analyzing eliminates a lot of the doubt that can waste our energy.

We also waste energy thinking about LUCK because it’s unpredictable, and we can’t control it or apply it like we can the 8 principles. And it’s impossible to make a scientific, logical, structure or process that relies on luck, like the wonderful one you established for success.

I don’t say that luck doesn’t exist, but it’s simply irrelevant when it comes to success and it has also no evidence in reality. It’s totally the opposite of what you discovered with the 8 principles, and what you proved in your extraordinary research.

By: andresitokun

andresitokun — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:54:03 +0000

I watched this other great video (2 min long) on how luck doesn’t really give talent nor success. It is also very good edited.

Talent = 10000 Hours + Luck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtUuJo_DeyI

So yeah, no mysterious god poke Bill and gave him talent and luck to succeed.

By: gweipo

gweipo — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:50:44 +0000

I think you’re misattributing the emphasis on luck of Outliers, in fact he says luck is a little part of it, it’s what you do with circumstances – i.e. take a lemon and make lemonade. He gives plenty of examples where people were lucked out (Jewish lawyers excluded from practising certain types of law for example), and just carried on and found their niche.
There’s room for both of you on the ‘success’ band wagon!

By: Mike Sporer

Mike Sporer — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:39:16 +0000

Richard;
I’ve always believed luck plays a small part. More important than that, however, is putting one foot in front of the other and moving along, improving on the way. “Our success is the result of doing things that we do have control over” says it all.
Mike