Quiet

When I started to browse about introvert and introversion last year, there's a book that always popped up on my search result. "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. This book received lots of good reviews.

Daily Mail said it's remarkable. 

Lynne Truss (English writer & journalist) said that Quiet is the most important book publish for decade.

Gretchen Rubin (the author of Happiness Project) said that Quiet is an extraordinary book that will change for ever the way society views introverts.

Naomi Wolf (the author of The Beauty Myth, feminism activist) said that Quiet will make quiet people see themselves in a whole new light.

For me, the title is enough to raise my curiosity. After read Quiet, I understand why this book gained a lot of praises. Well at least for an introvert like me, this book has solved so many questions in my head. I'm not a weirdo, I'm just an introvert. And introversion is not something that need to be cured :)

On this post, I'll share some of my favorite words from the book.

"We're told that to be great is to be bold, to be happy is to be sociable. We see ourselves as a nation of extroverts - which means that we've lost sight of who we really are."
-Introduction

"Introversion - along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness - is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between disappointment and pathology. Introverts living under the Extrovert Ideal are like woman in a man's world, discounted because of a trait that goes to the core of who they are."
-Introduction

"Introverts are drawn to the inner world of thought and feeling, extroverts to the external lives of people and activities....Introverts recharge their batteries by being alone; extroverts need to recharge when they don't socialize enough."
- Carl Jung, Introduction

"Extroverts tend to tackle assignments quickly. They make fast (sometimes rash) decisions, and are comfortable multitasking and risk-taking....Introverts often work more slowly and deliberately. They like to focus on one task and can have mighty powers of concentration."
-Introduction

"Introverts prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feels as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions."
-Introduction

"Introverts are uniquely good at leading initiative-talkers. Because of their inclination to listen to others and lack of interest in dominating social situations, introverts are more likely to hear implement suggestions...Introverted leaders creative a virtuous circle of proactivity."
- Adam Grant, Chapter 2: The Myth Of Charismatic Leadership

"Studies have shown that, indeed, introverts are more likely than extroverts to express intimate facts about themselves online that their family and friends would be surprised to read, to say that they can express the "real me" online, and to spend more in certain kinds of online discussions. They welcome the chance to communicate digitally."
-Chapter 2: The Myth of Charismatic Leadership

"The type that is 'sensitive' or 'reactive' would reflect a strategy of observing carefully before acting. It's a strategy of 'betting on a sure thing' or 'looking before you leap."
-Elaine Aron, Chapter 3: Franklin Was a Politician

"The introverts are much better at making a plan, staying with a plan, being very disciplined."
-Chapter 7: Why Did Wall Street Crash and Warren Buffet Prosper?

"If you're an introvert, find your flow by using your gifts. You have the power of persistence, the tenacity to solve complex problems, and the clear-sightedness to avoid pitfalls that trip others up...when you're focused on a project that you care about, you probably find that your energy is boundless. So stay true to your own nature. 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."
-Chapter 7: Why Did Wall Street Crash and Warren Buffet Prosper?

"According to Free Trait Theory, we are born and culturally endowed with certain personality traits - introversion, for example - but we can and do act out of character in the service of "core personal projects"...introverts are capable of acting like extroverts for the sake of work they consider important, people they love, or anything they value highly."
Chapter 9: When Should You Act More Extroverted Than You Really Are?

"A Free Trait Agreement acknowledges that we'll each act out of character some of the time - in exchange for being ourselves the rest of the time."
Chapter 9: When Should You Act More Extroverted Than You Really Are?

"'It can be hard for extroverts to understand how badly introverts need to recharge at the end of a busy day...It's also hard for introverts to understand just how hurtful their silence can be."
Chapter 10: The Communication Gap

"Introverts like people they meet in friendly contexts; extroverts prefer those they compete with."
Chapter 10: The Communication Gap

"Introverts are just as likely the next kid to seek others' company, though often in smaller doses."
Chapter 11: On Cobblers and Generals

"Respect your loved ones' need for socializing and your own for solitude (and vice versa if you're an extrovert). Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to."
-Conclusion

The last one, on A Note on the Words Introvert and Extrovert.
"This book is about introversion as seen from a cultural point of view. It's primary concern is the age-old dichotomy between the "man of action" and the "man of contemplation", and how we could improve the world if only there were a greater balance of power between the two types. It focuses on the person who recognizes him - or herself somewhere in the following constellation of attributes: reflective, cerebral, bookish, unassuming, sensitive, thoughtful, serious, contemplative, subtle, introspective, inner-directed, gentle, calm, modest, solitude-seeking, shy, risk-averse, thin-skinned. Quiet is also about this person's opposite number: the "man of action" who is ebullient, expansive, sociable, gregarious, excitable, dominant, assertive, active, risk-taking, thick-skinned, outer-directed, lighthearted, bold, and comfortable in the spotlight."

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