Booker T. Washington once said: “I have learned that success is not to be measured so much by the position one has attained in life as by the obstacles he encountered. I had to overcome everything while trying to succeed” (BrainyQuote). To be successful, you must achieve a goal or objective. Success cannot be achieved overnight. In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell talks about both Robert Oppenheimer and Chris Langan. He writes: “Here we have two very bright young students, each of whom is facing a problem that jeopardizes their academic careers. Langan's mother missed the deadline to get her financial aid. Oppenheimer attempted to poison his guardian. To continue, they are required to plead their case to the authorities. And what is happening? Langan had his scholarship withdrawn and Oppenheimer was sent to a psychiatrist. Oppenheimer and Langan may both be geniuses, but in other ways they could not be more different” (98). Although Robert Oppenheimer had better family support and more opportunities than Chris Langan, they were both successful in life. Robert Oppenheimer had a lot of family support growing up. He came from a very rich family. He was born and raised in New York. Oppenheimer had both his parents firmly behind him and encouraging him in everything he did. They truly believed in Oppenheimer's intelligence. Gladwell writes of an example that clearly shows the encouragement he writes: "Dreading the thought of having to speak to an audience of adults, Robert begged his father to explain to him that they had invited a child of twelve years old. Highly amused, Julius encouraged his son to accept the honor… Robert nevertheless read his prepared remarks and was warmly applauded” (109). It's j...... middle of paper ...... successful. Oppenheimer came from a very wealthy family and had great family support. Langan, on the other hand, came from a completely opposite family, very poor and had no family support. The many opportunities Oppenheimer had had led to his success. While Langan hardly had any opportunities as no one wanted to give him a chance to prove himself. Through it all, the two men, despite their backgrounds, both became successful in life. Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Trouble with Genies, Part II.” Outliers: The Success Story. New York: Little Brown and, 2008. 91-115. Print. Langan, Christopher. "All About Christopher Langan: The Smartest Man in America." Interview. Web log publication. Techentertainment. Techtainment, January 26, 2008. Web. March 30, 2014. Rosenberg, Jennifer. "J. Robert Oppenheimer." About.com 20th century history. About and Web. March 30. 2014.