David and Goliath: Underdogs Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants

“We spend a lot of time thinking about the way thats prestige and resources and belonging to elite institutions make us better off. We don’t spend enough time thinking about the ways in which those kinds of material advantages limit our options.”

Key takeaway

We are often narrow minded and don’t look at problems from multiple angles

“The lesson of the Impressionists is that there are times and places where it is better to be a Big Fish in a Little Pond than a Little Fish in a Big Pond, where the apparent disadvantage of being an outsider in a marginal world turns out not to be a disadvantage at all.”

Key takeaway

Being an outsider can sometimes be an advantage, you see things differently

“Stouffer’s point is that we form our impressions not globally, by placing ourselves in the broadest possible context, but locally - by comparing ourselves to people “in the same boat as ourselves.” Our sense of how deprived we are is relative.”

Key takeaway

Changing the perspective can have a major impact. Comparing things is all relative.

“Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all.”

Key takeaway

Courage comes from experience.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.”

Key takeaway

Embrace change, don’t fight it