Making Room for the Thoughtful Ones: A Review of Susan Cain's "Quiet"

I love Cain's conclusions, which affirm that we are all created with gifts no one else can offer, and challenge introverts to be most truly themselves:

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, insight, and sensitivity—to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems, make art, think deeply. (264)

Her book makes us think more deeply and offers, I hope, the possibility that the quiet strength of the introvert will someday be celebrated alongside the more vocal confidence of the outgoing.

For more conversation on the book Quiet—and to read an excerpt—visit the Patheos Book Club.