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 Read Quote
In most job interviews, people say they are looking for people skills and emotional intelligence. That’s reasonable, but the question is, how do you define what that looks like? Susan Cain Read Quote
Even when the attention focused on me is positive, I am uncomfortable being looked at by a lot of people – it’s just not my natural state of being. Susan Cain Read Quote
Men are more likely to be introverted than women are, but it’s really very slight. But the real difference I think is in how it plays out, how it relates to cultural stereotypes. Susan Cain Read Quote
Shyness is inherently uncomfortable; introversion is not. The traits do overlap, though psychologists debate to what degree. Susan Cain Read Quote
Many people believe that introversion is about being antisocial, and that’s really a misperception. Because actually it’s just that introverts are differently social. So they would prefer to have a glass of wine with a close friend as opposed to going to a loud party full of strangers. Susan Cain Read Quote
I’m not saying abolish group work – I think there’s a time and a place for people to come together and exchange ideas, but let’s restore the respect we once had for solitude. And we need to be much more mindful of the way we come together. Susan Cain Read Quote
We need to do teacher training to educate them about what temperament means. Shyness is painful and you want to help a child with shyness – but the underlying temperament of being a careful, sensitive person is to be honoured, valued and respected. Susan Cain Read Quote
