Susan Cain Quotes

80 Sourced Quotes

Jealousy is an ugly emotion, but it tells the truth. You mostly envy those who have what you desire.

Susan Cain
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
It's never a good idea to organize society in a way that depletes the energy of half the population.

Susan Cain
Love is essential; gregariousness is optional. Cherish your nearest and dearest. Work with colleagues you like and respect. Scan new acquaintances for those who might fall into the former categories or whose company you enjoy for its own sake. And don't worry about socializing with everyone else. Relationships make everyone happier, introverts included, but think quality over quantity.

Susan Cain
Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to.

Susan Cain
The key to maximizing talents is to put yourself into the zone of stimulation that's right for you.

Susan Cain
We (introverts) are not anti-social; we're differently social.

Susan Cain
I prefer listening to talking, reading to socializing … I like to think before I speak (softly).

Susan Cain
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. It's so easy to confuse schmoozing ability with talent. Someone seems like a good presenter, easy to get along with, and those traits are rewarded. Well, why is that? They're valuable traits, but we put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.

Susan Cain
It's as if they have thinner boundaries separating them from other people's emotions and from the tragedies and cruelties of the world.

Susan Cain
Embracing their quiet nature does not cause introverts to flee to a shack in the woods. It empowers them to engage with the world – but on their own terms.

Susan Cain
Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured.

Susan Cain
Figure out what you are meant to contribute to the world and make sure you contribute it. If this requires public speaking or networking or other activities that make you uncomfortable, do them anyway. But accept that they're difficult, get the training you need to make them easier, and reward yourself when you're done.

Susan Cain
Though shyness per se was unacceptable, reserve was a mark of good breeding.

Susan Cain
Cross the street to avoid making aimless chitchat with random acquaintances.

Susan Cain
There is no one more courageous than the person who speaks with the courage of his convictions.

Susan Cain
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
Where we fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum... influences our choice of friends and partners, and how we make conversation, resolve differences and show love. It affects the careers we choose and whether or not we succeed at them.

Susan Cain
Groups follow the most charismatic person, even though there is no correlation between being a good speaker and having great ideas.

Susan Cain
Or at school you might have been prodded to come out of your shell —that noxious expression which fails to appreciate that some animals naturally carry shelter everywhere they go, and that some humans are just the same.

Susan Cain