Susan Cain
Susan Cain
Susan Horowitz Cainis an American writer and lecturer, and author of the 2012 non-fiction book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, which argues that modern Western culture misunderstands and undervalues the traits and capabilities of introverted people. In 2015, Cain co-founded Quiet Revolution, a mission-based company with initiatives in the areas of children, lifestyle, and the workplace. Cain's 2016 follow-on book, Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts, focused on introverted children and teens,...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
CountryUnited States of America
I look back on my years as a Wall Street lawyer as time spent in a foreign country...
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.
We've known about the transcendent power of solitude for centuries; it's only recently that we've forgotten it.
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.
I've never given a speech without being terrified first.
I've wanted to be a writer since I was four years old!
Our culture is biased against quiet and reserved people, but introverts are responsible for some of humanity's greatest achievements.
Shyness is inherently uncomfortable; introversion is not. The traits do overlap, though psychologists debate to what degree.
Some introverts are perfectly comfortable with public speaking; I'm not one of them.
All personality traits have their good side and their bad side. But for a long time, we've seen introversion only through its negative side and extroversion mostly through its positive side.
I think the shyness one feels in childhood is often overcome with time. There are children who hide behind their parents' legs, but you don't see grown-ups hiding behind people. It just doesn't happen. I mean, not that often. People develop social skills over time.
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.
As a parent, if give yourself what you need, your children will watch you doing that and will give themselves what they need.
We have a two-tier class system when it comes to personality style. To devalue introversion is a waste of talent, energy and happiness.