453 Quotes by Susan Cain

Velocity of speech counts as well as volume: we rank fast talkers as more competent and likable than slow ones.

In our culture, snails are not considered valiant animals – we are constantly exhorting people to “come out of their shells” – but there’s a lot to be said for taking your home with you wherever you go.

In fact, some scientists are starting to explore the idea that reward-sensitivity is not only an interesting feature of extroversion; it is what makes an extrovert an extrovert. Extroverts, in other words, are characterized by their tendency to seek rewards, from top dog status to sexual highs to cold cash.

We failed to realize that what makes sense for the asynchronous, relatively anonymous interactions of the Internet might not work as well inside the face-to-face, politically charged, acoustically noisy confines of an open-plan office. Instead of distinguishing between online and in-person interaction, we used the lessons of one to inform our thinking about the other.

Highly sensitive people also process information about their environments – both physical and emotional – unusually deeply. They tend to notice subtleties that others miss – another person’s shift in mood, say, or a lightbulb burning a touch too brightly.

He also suggests “No-Talk Thursdays,” one day a week in which employees aren’t allowed to speak to each other.

We’ve known about the transcendent power of solitude for centuries; it’s only recently that we’ve forgotten it.

I could literally go years without having any friends except for my wife and kids,” he says. “Look at you and me. You’re one of my best friends, and how many times do we actually talk – when you call me! I don’t like socializing.

If you force extroverts to pause, says Newman, they’ll do just as well as introverts at the numbers game.