37 Top Quotes From Quiet
What is Quiet About?
Quiet, a nonfiction book, argues that modern Western culture misunderstands and undervalues the traits and capabilities of introverted people, leading to "a colossal waste of talent, energy, and happiness". The book offers advice to introverts for functioning in an extrovert-dominated culture; and offers advice in communication, work, and relationships between people of differing temperament.
Adopting scientific definitions of introversion and extroversion as preferences for different levels of stimulation, Quiet outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each temperament, emphasizing the myth of the extrovert ideal that has dominated in the West since the early twentieth century. (Quite Summary)
Quiet Quotes
[Favorite Quote]: “The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it's a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk." (Meaning)
2. “There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.”
3. "If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don't let others make you feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy depth, don't force yourself to seek breadth. If you prefer single-tasking to multi-tasking, stick to your guns. "
4. "Being relatively unmoved by rewards gives you the incalculable power to go your own way.”
5. “Shyness is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, while introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating. Shyness is inherently painful; introversion is not.”
6. “Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to.”
7. “We don't need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.”
8. “Do not think of introversion as something that needs to be cured.”
9. “Everyone shines, given the right lighting.”
10. "Introverts living in the Extrovert Ideal are like women in a man's world, discounted because of a trait that goes to the core of who they are."
11. "One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards."
12. “We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally.”
13. "Solitude is a catalyst for innovation."
14. "We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.”
15. "It's OK to cross the street to avoid making small talk."
16. "Appearance is not reality. Some people act like extroverts, but the effort costs them energy, authenticity, and even physical health. Others seem aloof or self-contained, but their inner landscapes are rich and full of drama. "
17. “Introverts need to trust their gut and share their ideas as powerfully as they can. This does not mean aping extroverts; ideas can be shared quietly"
18. “The purpose of school should be to prepare kids for the rest of their lives, but too often what kids need to be prepared for is surviving the school day itself.”
19. "The medium is not always the message"
20. "Sensitive people enjoy small talk only after they've gone deep"
21. “The same person who would never raise his hand in a lecture hall of two hundred people might blog to two thousand, or two million, without thinking twice. "
22. “What if you love knowledge for its own sake, not necessarily as a blueprint to action?"
23. "Venting doesn't soothe anger; it fuels it.”
24. "Pay attention to what you envy. Jealousy is an ugly emotion, but it tells the truth. You mostly envy those who have what you desire.”
25. "People who suppress negative emotions tend to leak those emotions later in unexpected ways"
26. "The trick is not to amass all the different kinds of available power, but to use well the kind you've been granted."
27. "We can stretch our personalities, but only up to a point. Our inborn temperaments influence us, regardless of the lives we lead. "
28. “There is no one more courageous than the person who speaks with the courage of his convictions.”
29. "Introverts focus on the meaning they make of the events swirling around them; extroverts plunge into the events themselves. Introverts recharge their batteries by being alone; extroverts need to recharge when they don’t socialize enough.”
30. “Naked lions are just as dangerous as elegantly dressed ones”
31. "If genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration, then as a culture we tend to lionize the one percent. We love its flash and dazzle. But great power lies in the other ninety-nine percent.”
32. "True self-esteem comes from competence, not the other way around.”
33. "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. "
34. “When you go to a football game and someone offers you a beer, they're really saying hi, have a glass of extroversion.”
35. "Some animals naturally carry shelter everywhere they go, and...some humans are just the same.”
36. “If personal space is vital to creativity, so is freedom from peer pressure.”
37. “There are only a few people out there who can completely overcome their fears, and they all live in Tibet.”
― Quotes from the book Quiet by Susan Cain
Who is the Author of Quiet?
Susan Horowitz Cain is an American writer and lecturer. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Cain has also spoken at Microsoft, Google, the U.S. Treasury, the S.E.C., Harvard, Yale, West Point and the US Naval Academy.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
