Talking to Strangers
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Afterword
Themes
All Themes Default to Truth Limitations of Transparency Coupling Theory and Context Self vs. Stranger
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Malcolm Gladwell Sandra Bland Brian Encinia Ana Belen Montes Tim Levine Harry Markopolos Florentino Aspillaga Montezuma II Hernán Cortés Brian Latell Neville Chamberlain Adolph Hitler Eugene Carroll Reg Brown Scott Carmichael Bernie Madoff Michael McQueary Jerry Sandusky Larry Nassar Amanda Knox Brock Turner James Mitchell Bruce Jessen Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) Sylvia Plath David Weisburd Larry Sherman George Kelling Charles Remsberg Joe Paterno Tim Curley Allan Myers Jennifer Fugate Sergio Jarillo Carlos Crivelli El Alpinista Winston Churchill Nat Simons Solomon Sendhil Mullainathan Emily Doe Brian Bree Dwight Heath Rudy Guede Gary Schultz Jonathan Dranov
Terms
All Terms Coupling Theory Displacement Theory Hermanos al Rescate Mismatched Myopia Theory Preventative Patrol Reid Technique The Second Mile Transparency Truth-Default Theory
Symbols
All Symbols The Holy Fool Sandra Bland’s Cigarette
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Talking to Strangers

by

Malcolm Gladwell
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Nat Simons Character Analysis

In 2003, Nat Simons was a portfolio manager at the Long Island-based hedge fund Renaissance Technologies. At the time, Renaissance Technologies had stakes in a fund run by Bernie Madoff, and in 2003, Simons emailed colleagues expressing concerns over the possibility that Madoff’s fund was engaged in fraudulent activity. Simons and some colleagues conducted an investigation that seemed to confirm Simons’s suspicions. Despite their findings, Renaissance failed to cut ties with Madoff entirely, opting instead to decrease their stake in the fund by half. Gladwell views this decision as evidence of our bias toward truth and willingness to dismiss doubt.

Nat Simons Quotes in Talking to Strangers

The Talking to Strangers quotes below are all either spoken by Nat Simons or refer to Nat Simons. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Default to Truth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The difference between Markopolos and Renaissance, however, is that Renaissance trusted the system. Madoff was part of one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the entire financial market. If he was really just making things up, wouldn’t one of the many government watchdogs have caught him already? As Nat Simons, the Renaissance executive, said later, “You just assume that someone was paying attention.”

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Nat Simons (speaker), Bernie Madoff, Nat Simons
Related Symbols: The Holy Fool
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:
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Nat Simons Quotes in Talking to Strangers

The Talking to Strangers quotes below are all either spoken by Nat Simons or refer to Nat Simons. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Default to Truth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The difference between Markopolos and Renaissance, however, is that Renaissance trusted the system. Madoff was part of one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the entire financial market. If he was really just making things up, wouldn’t one of the many government watchdogs have caught him already? As Nat Simons, the Renaissance executive, said later, “You just assume that someone was paying attention.”

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Nat Simons (speaker), Bernie Madoff, Nat Simons
Related Symbols: The Holy Fool
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:
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