Great point and spot-on, I think. Also, you mentioning that music theory book reminds me of what SICP is for programming. I haven't read "Outliers" yet, but fr

Great point and spot-on, I think. Also, you mentioning that music theory book reminds me of what SICP is for programming. I haven't read "Outliers" yet, but from what I've gathered about it I think the biggest thing Gladwell fails to mention is the single-minded drive and zealous mission that's inherent in true outliers. Read the biography of any extraordinary performer (Buffett, Steve Jobs, Rockefeller, Ted Williams, Michael Jackson...) and you get the sense that they were willing to die for it. They didn't do it to test theories or even test their potential. Their craft defined their entire existence. It was their all and everything, it was their life.