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
Society
Bold
Introversion
Self
Rarely
Articulated
Disappointment
Alphas
Ideal
Alpha
Held
Pathology
Ideals
Gregarious
Somewhere
Viewed
Belief
Widely

More quotes by 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
I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they're good talkers, but they don't have good ideas.
Susan Cain
Image
we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally
Susan Cain
Image
The pressure to entertain, to sell ourselves, and never to be visibly anxious keeps ratcheting up.
Susan Cain
Image
I look back on my years as a Wall Street lawyer as time spent in a foreign country.
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
Every American was to become a performing self.
Susan Cain
Image
Another study, of 38,000 knowledge workers across different sectors, found that the simple act of being interrupted is one of the biggest barriers to productivity. Even multitasking, that prized feat of modern-day office warriors, turns out to be a myth.
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
Introverts are offered keys to private gardens full of riches. To possess such a key is to tumble like Alice down her rabbit hole. She didn't choose to go to Wonderland - but she made of it an adventure that was fresh and fantastic and very much her own.
Susan Cain
Image
In our culture, snails are not considered valiant animals - we are constantly exhorting people to come out of their shells - but there's a lot to be said for taking your home with you wherever you go.
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
There is no one more courageous than the person who speaks with the courage of his convictions.
Susan Cain
Image
There are only a few people out there who can completely overcome their fears, and they all live in Tibet.
Susan Cain
Image
Shyness is inherently uncomfortable introversion is not. The traits do overlap, though psychologists debate to what degree.
Susan Cain
Image
Introverts .. may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas.
Susan Cain
Image
Introverts living under the Extroversion Ideal are like women in a man's world, discounted because of a trait that goes to the core of who they are.
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
We don't need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.
Susan Cain
Image
I'm insatiably curious about human nature. I feel very lucky that as a writer I get to learn so much about it just to do my job right.
Susan Cain