Introversion Quotes

“Recognition is what you feel when a friend sums up exactly what you’re feeling, when an author gives you the right words, when someone “gets” you.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“When introverts sense invasion, we instinctively shut down to protect our inner resources. But in doing so, we lose access to ourselves. From this defensive position, we may feel that our only options are to practice extroversion, go underground, or go crazy.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“If a child stays quiet in the context of extroverted friends, or even prefers time alone, a parent may worry and even send her to therapy. She might be thrilled— she’ll finally get to talk about the stuff she cares about, and without interruption! But if the therapist concludes that the child has a social phobia, the treatment of choice is to increasingly expose her to the situations she fears. This behavioral treatment is effective for treating phobias — if that is truly the problem. If it’s not the problem, and the child just likes hanging out inside better than chatting, she’ll have a problem soon. Her “illness” now will be an internalized self-reproach: “Why don’t I enjoy this like everyone else?” The otherwise carefree child learns that something is wrong with her. She not only is pulled away from her home, she is supposed to like it. Now she is anxious and unhappy, confirming the suspicion that she has a problem.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“In an extroverted society, we rarely see ourselves in the mirror. We get alienating feedback. Alienating feedback comes in the form of repeated encouragement to join or talk, puzzled expressions, well-intended concern, and sometimes, all-out pointing and laughing. Alienating feedback happens when we hear statements like, “What kind of loser would be home on a Saturday night?” Alienating feedback happens where neighborhoods, schools, and offices provide no place to retreat. Alienating feedback happens when our quiet spaces and wilderness sanctuaries are seen as places to colonize.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“For an introvert, interacting in a group setting does mean missing out. Where there is too much input, the introvert misses his mind, his subjectivity, his freedom, his very potential. The high-stimulus social environment, the “where it’s at on a Friday night,” this apparent “more,” becomes a prison to the introvert. He can’t wait to be free—to get out and away from the noise, the talk, the interference with his inner process.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“The best-adjusted people are the
‘psychologically patriotic,’ who are glad to be what they are.”
― Isabel Briggs Myers, Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type

“The Socially Accessible introvert looks like an extrovert on the outside and sees extroversion as a bar that he or she can never quite reach. These individuals are often very successful in social arenas, but fault themselves for not having more fun.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Think of a group of Extrovert Moms gathered together at a Little League game, excitedly chatting and enjoying the action. In comes Introvert Mom who, after a full day of work, wants nothing more than to savor the game—all by herself. She sits off a bit from everyone else, stretching her feet onto the bleacher bench, and may even have a book to indulge in as the team warms up. She might enjoy watching the people around her, but she has no energy to interact. What are the Extrovert Moms thinking? Because they are oriented to people, they will likely assume that Introvert Mom is, too—which means they see Introvert Mom as not liking people (what we know now as asocial) or being a “snob,” thinking she’s too good for the Extrovert Moms. More likely, Introvert Mom is not thinking about them at all! She is just doing something she likes to do.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“It would be wise to be concerned about the introvert who is deprived of solitude. Is she neglecting herself due to depression? Is she falling victim to guilt and self-reproach? Does she feel cut off from pleasure? Does she feel dead?”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“the extrovert assumption is so woven into the fabric of our culture that an employee may suffer reprimands for keeping his door closed (that is, if he is one of the lucky ones who has a door), for not lunching with other staff members, or for missing the weekend golf game or any number of supposedly morale-boosting celebrations. Half. More than half of us don’t want to play. We don’t see the point. For us, an office potluck will not provide satisfying human contact—we’d much rather meet a friend for an intimate conversation (even if that friend is a coworker). For us, the gathering will not boost morale — and will probably leave us resentful that we stayed an extra hour to eat stale cookies and make small talk. For us, talking with coworkers does not benefit our work—it sidetracks us.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Although most introverts seek time alone as an alternative to people and competition, solitude is a power source for the introvert. And for someone wanting to exert control, solitude is indeed threatening. Many sales schemes rely on “today only” impulse purchases because “sleeping on it” will help you realize that you don’t need the product. Cults gain their power by depriving members of any time alone. Clients in my office comment on what a difference it makes to have time to think, and value psychotherapy for its attention to inner processes.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Because extroversion lines up so well with American values, we introverts often deprive ourselves of what we most enjoy and thrive on. So, for all of you who draw energy from inside, behind, underneath, or away from it all, welcome home.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“One of the teens I worked with told me about how she loves to take tests, because it is quiet and everyone is occupying their own space.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“This book is not about finding balance—we are really tired of doing that! Besides, finding balance assumes that we have been allowed to be fully introverted. We have not. This book is about embracing the power of introversion. It’s about indulging, melting into, drinking in, immersing ourselves in the joy, the genius, and the power of who we naturally are—and not just on the occasional retreat, but in the living of our lives.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“...it is impossible to fully and fairly understand introversion without looking inside. We aren’t just going away, we’re going toward something.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Regardless of how dead we feel in a crowd, we cling to the uniquely American assumption that associating is good and necessary and solitude is suspect.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Solitude is not lack.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“The British attendees reported a similar difficulty identifying introverts in America because “U.S. Introverts exhibited behavior that in the United Kingdom was associated with Extroversion: sociability, comfort with small talk, disclosure of personal information, energetic and fast-paced conversation, and so forth.” Most Americans, whether introverted or extroverted, have learned to look like extroverts.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Is it better to part with your introversion or to accept a diagnosis that allows you to have it as long as you see it as a problem? The introverted child’s plea for solitude seems to be either unheeded or treated.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength