Susan Cain Quotes

“Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured.”

“Everyone shines, given the right lighting.”

“Flow is an optimal state in which you feel totally engaged in an activity... In a state of flow, you're neither bored nor anxious, and you don't question your own adequacy. Hours pass without your noticing.”

“I believe that introversion is my greatest strength. I have such a strong inner life that I’m never bored and only occasionally lonely. No matter what mayhem is happening around me, I know I can always turn inward.”

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

“Love is essential, gregariousness is optional.”

“Open-plan offices have been found to reduce productivity and impair memory. They’re associated with high staff turnover. They make people sick, hostile, unmotivated, and insecure.”

“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.”

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

“The key to flow is to pursue an activity for its own sake, not for the rewards it brings.”

“The pressure to entertain, to sell ourselves, and never to be visibly anxious keeps ratcheting up.”

“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.”

“The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it's a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers -- of persistence, concentration, and insight -- to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems. make art, think deeply.”

“There are only a few people out there who can completely overcome their fears, and they all live in Tibet.”

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

“There's nothing more exciting than ideas.”

“There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.”

“True self-esteem comes from competence, not the other way around.”

“We don't need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.”

“We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally.”

“When you go to a football game and someone offers you a beer, they're really saying hi, have a glass of extroversion.”