Quote

A widely held, but rarely articulated, belief in our society is that the ideal self is bold, alpha, gregarious. Introversion is viewed somewhere between disappointment and pathology.

Susan Cain

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Susan Cain
Age: 56
Born: 1968
Born: March 20
Lawyer
Non-Fiction Writer
Writer
Ideals
Gregarious
Somewhere
Viewed
Belief
Widely
Society
Bold
Introversion
Self
Rarely
Articulated
Disappointment
Alphas
Ideal
Alpha
Held
Pathology

More quotes by Susan Cain

Image
Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi — all these peopled described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy. And they all took the spotlight, even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to.
Susan Cain
Image
Introversion - along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness - is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology.
Susan Cain
Image
We know from myths and fairy tales that there are many different kinds of powers in this world. One child is given a light saber, another a wizard's education. The trick is not to amass all the different kinds of power, but to use well the kind you've been granted.
Susan Cain
Image
I've never given a speech without being terrified first.
Susan Cain
Image
Though shyness per se was unacceptable, reserve was a mark of good breeding.
Susan Cain
Image
It's never a good idea to organize society in a way that depletes the energy of half the population.
Susan Cain
Image
One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.
Susan Cain
Image
Studies have shown that performance gets worse as group size increases ... If you have talented and motivated people, they should be encouraged to work alone when creativity or efficiency is the highest priority.
Susan Cain
Image
Evangelicalism has taken the Extrovert Ideal to its logical extreme...If you don't love Jesus out loud, then it must not be real love. It's not enough to forge your own spiritual connection to the divine it must be displayed publicly.
Susan Cain
Image
I'm insatiably curious about human nature.
Susan Cain
Image
What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50 percent.
Susan Cain
Image
I've wanted to be a writer since I was four years old!
Susan Cain
Image
Solitude is out of fashion. Our companies, our schools and our culture are in thrall to an idea I call the New Groupthink, which holds that creativity and achievement come from an oddly gregarious place.
Susan Cain
Image
The glory of the disposition that stops to consider stimuli rather than rushing to engage with them is its long association with intellectual and artistic achievement. Neither E=mc2 nor Paradise Lost was dashed off by a party animal.
Susan Cain
Image
Indeed, your biggest challenge may be to fully harness your strengths. You may be so busy trying to appear like a zestful, reward-sensitive extrovert that you undervalue your own talents, or feel underestimated by those around you. But when you’re focused on a project that you care about, you probably find that your energy is boundless.
Susan Cain
Image
...remember the dangers of the New Groupthink. If it's creativity you're after, ask your employees to solve problems alone before sharing their ideas. If you want the wisdom of the crowd, gather it electronically, or in writing, and make sure people can't see each other's ideas until everyone has had a chance to contribute.
Susan Cain
Image
When you're more focused in getting your message across than you are worrying about how people are viewing you, that's huge.
Susan Cain
Image
Scores of studies have shown that venting doesn't soothe anger it fuels it.
Susan Cain
Image
...if you can think of meetings you've attended, you can probably recall a time - plenty of times - when the opinion of the most dynamic or talkative person prevailed to the detriment of all.
Susan Cain
Image
I use a lot of old-fashioned expressions.
Susan Cain