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

“Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.”

Gladwell casts all overwhelming odds as giants, or Goliaths. Giants are characterized by size, power, and strength. But in the project of the book, seeing giants only in these ways is reductive. Not only that, this narrow view is what allows giants to maintain their power, when in fact some of their strengths can be used against them as weaknesses. For instance, if Goliath had been able to move more quickly, he may have had a chance at dodging the rock thrown from David’s sling.

“Much of what we consider valuable in our world arises out of (these) one-sided conflicts. Because the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty.”

Throughout the book, the battles against Goliaths are framed not only as winnable for the underdogs, but as actual duties of the underdogs. Struggling against a giant can lead to additional breakthroughs, beauty, and progress in the world. Not fighting simply because the odds look too great can be a way of stifling progress and greatness.

“There is an important lesson in all battles with giants. The powerful and the strong are not always what they seem.”

Giants are framed as something to be fought against. Because the goal of any battle is to win, and because giants appear impervious, attacking them is an exercise is spotting vulnerabilities. One of Gladwell’s precepts is that when confronted by a giant, one should not assume that the battle is unwinnable, but rather, to remember that underdogs often win simply because they refused to accept the authority of a giant’s power.