Sihay

This book is an ode to introverts who struggle in a world where extroversion, outward confidence, and loud delivery of words are more valued than the quality of thoughts. It took me a while to finish this book. I wish I’d read this book sooner. I empathize with the people in the stories and agree with the ideas discussed here. I just read this book at a point in my life where I no longer need someone to tell me the advantages of being an introvert. I had worked that out years ago. At a different time, perhaps this book would have saved me years of self-loathing and regret.

If someone is at that time in their life when they think they’d be able to achieve more, to do more, to move further in life had they had the social energy to do so, this book would be the perfect antidote. As with other self-help books, the stories can be a little dry once you’ve already got the handle on the main points, but it might be a good confidence boost for someone who needs more evidence, more validation for the experiences they’ve had as “the quiet one.”

Despite the repetitiveness of the lessons I learned here, some quotes still stood out to me:

1. In the Culture of Character, the ideal self was serious, disciplined, and honorable. (As extroversion honors the Culture of Personality while introversion honors the Culture of Character.)
2. We don’t need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.
3. The slogan served as a reminder that the woman who had inspired the boycott was the sort of soft-spoken martyr God would not abandon. (on Rosa Parks)
4. In a gentle way, you can shake the world. — Mahatma Gandhi
5. Quiet and introspection are signs of deep thought and higher truth. Words are potentially dangerous weapons that reveal things better left unsaid.
6. People who tend to suppress their negative emotions regularly might start to see the world in a more negative light.
7. Venting doesn’t soothe anger; it fuels it.

As exemplified by the quiet leaders whether in the real world or in fiction — the pope, Gandhi, Thomas Shelby, Tywin Lannister, or Jon Snow — true changes are not achieved by force. This book reminds us of the power of silence and stillness in a world of chaos and confusion.