People might argue that Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers is all about family background and legacy. Others might say that what matters most is how someone is raised and how much time and dedication they put into a skill or goal. People might also say that all of these factors are what the book focuses on to be successful. The book is not about family background, the “10,000 Hour Rule” or “Rice Paddy Fields.” All of these encompass something very important, the opportunity to actually apply those theories. The most important theory that Gladwell presents is that opportunities are the key to success more than other theories. Many people in the chapters would not have been successful without the opportunities they were presented with. Opportunities give you the chance to succeed and improve at whatever you want to do or accomplish. Opportunities help these people achieve their goals. For example, Bill Gates came from a richer background than most people. Simply coming from a wealthy background was the number one opportunity to become a successful computer whiz. Gladwell states that "Opportunity number one...Gates was sent to Lakeside [a prestigious school]...number two...that the mothers at Lakeside had enough money to pay for the school's computer bills [Gates' mother gave money to start the club]…” (54) and the opportunities go on and on He was able to be a part of the school’s computer club and was later given the opportunity to go off campus during the spring and spend some time programming and coding. He lived near a computer terminal where he could come in and practice. All these opportunities are what made Gates, Bill Gates, one of the famous b ...... middle of paper ......nt in the book, they had some sort of opportunity, such as the Beatles being together for a while before they came to the United States to practice and practice before becoming one of the best bands in the world. It wasn't luck and faith, it was the chance they had to become a great musical band. Gladwell gives readers the chance to think and analyze things that people would never have thought about. It gave people theories about how many became outliers. Whether it was the 10,000 hour rule or the Rose Garden Mystery, he showed people that the most important theory is opportunity. Probabilities are the foundation of these other theories in the book because without them the other theories would not exist. Therefore, opportunities are what matters most in Outliers because without them, most of these people would not be what they are today, outliers.