Will I love Quiet?

As the mom of an extreme introvert, I listened to this book to better understand my child. It taught me so much about how introverts think, process information, but most importantly, what they need around communication. As a leader, understanding the differences in the way people think, work, and engage will enable you to get the most out of them.

I retrained myself to approach my daughter differently as a result of this book. It helped me explain myself to her and made her feel understood by me. Grateful for this book. Imagine if we did that in the workplace!

I loved reading this book; it solidified my theory of the importance of Sensitives. Ms. Cain writes of introverts and their impact on society and history. It was very empowering for me personally, as well as supported my research professionally.

70% of Highly Sensitive Persons are introverted, and therefore, Ms. Cain’s book helped me to further understand the trait and, therefore, myself. Her research taught me that as an introverted Highly Sensitive Person, I too can contribute in my fashion to society.

I always thought I was an extrovert, but it turns out that I am actually an introvert. I have spent my life trying to bend myself into the shape of an extrovert, which has been exhausting, draining, and ultimately completely futile.

I think this book might have just changed my life. 

This book opened my eyes to see introversion as a strength rather than a weakness. But more so, it gave me the permission to question how things that we took as “just the way things are” might have been positioned incorrectly from the start.

If it wasn’t true that introversion is inherently worse than extroversion, what else might popular culture and mainstream workplace practices have gotten wrong? I felt seen by the book and hopeful of what more honest conversations about how people are wired might both reveal and help heal. 

The title alone is a grabber. As an introvert, I learned much about myself, thus maximizing my strengths as I interact with others. 

The author packs the book with fascinating studies and examples to prove the fact that introverts are the creative ones and make better leaders. Fellow introverts, we now have the ammunition needed to get a private cubicle at work or even bow out of committee meetings.

Extroverts can learn much from the book, too, since their strengths are highlighted.

This book starts with an interesting premise, that the U.S. is a society that favors Extroverts over Introverts. 

The author cites academic research and data from her own experiences to demonstrate how we moved from a society that valued character over personality, to one that lauds the Extroversion Ideal…at school, at work, and other public venues. This book made me think hard about how my perceptions of others might be influenced by my assumptions about what Extroverts and Introverts bring to the table.

I really liked this book, mainly because I finally felt seen and understood.

I’m not your typical introvert, which has always made me feel a little bit at odds. But this book has also been an eye opener for me regarding organizational cultures and the workplaces we create (starting already in business schools), that favor extraverts and a certain way of acting and being.

It highlights yet another form of diversity that is generally overlooked, even though, ironically, highly successful leaders in the business world often don’t even fit the mold themselves.  

If you’re a strong, silent type who wants to feel understood, affirmed, and—most important—capable of leadership, you can’t do better than Quiet. With a psychologist’s insight into human character and a storyteller’s panache, Susan Cain demonstrates just how (quietly) effective we introverts can be. I loved her opening story of a reserved young lawyer who wins the day in a fierce negotiation; also her debunking of myths about this oft-overlooked third of the population. Weak? Antisocial? Timid followers? No way. Introverts rule.

I felt like this book peered into my soul. I count myself among the 70 percent of highly sensitive people who are also introverted. That means I need time to think before I act and more space to adjust to changes. I tend to be more reflective, serious, and dislike being observed and being the center of attention. Before reading Quiet, I assumed that these qualities were character faults. But now I understand that they are not only part of my wiring, but that they can also be my greatest superpowers. I love Cain’s use of engaging stories and… show more.

My doctor and therapist, a clinical Psychologist, recommended I read this book. Because she thought it would help me understand people who are fundamentally different from me - introverts. She was right. This book opened my eyes to an entirely novel way of experiencing the environment. I am an extrovert.

I have been called "pig-headed, arrogant, narcissistic, [and] just like your father." This, by a woman I once loved. Okay, by more than one. My doctor doesn’t disagree.

Susan Cain's book is important. She wrote it to empower introverts. However, I think extroverts should also read it. Quiet could be… show more.