Book Review: Quiet

As someone who feels things very deeply, I used to think that my heavy emotions should be treated like a disease. If anything, my propensity to internalize and absorb such intense thoughts made a lot of people uncomfortable in my life, which as a result made me feel like there was something terribly wrong with me. It's not something that I can necessarily control - I've tried to "loosen up" and "chill out" but for some reason I could never seem to comfortably settle into that advice. I've had to accept that this is my way of being, and that perhaps, I am not someone who finds happiness in "loosening up." I enjoy tightly strangling and suffocating the intricacies of life; this might sound horrific, but I think I find joy in perplexing and complicated things. I don't just want a pleasurable life, I want a life that is fully lived.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking challenged everything that I thought about myself. Simply put, introverts are people who do not like to be overstimulated. When we think of introverts, we might make a lot of assumptions, but at the heart of it, they're just a group of people who feel energized by solitude and silence. That doesn't mean they can't handle social situations or stimulation, it just means that their energy gets depleted by too much of it and at some point, they need to retreat because of it. Instead of their voice, the volume of their minds is what echoes the loudest. There is a vivid internal landscape inside the mind of an introvert. 

Why should we as introverts, as people who thrive on inward exploration, condemn ourselves for not being like our extroverted counterparts? Imagine a world where we cultivate deep thought, introspection, and thoughtfulness in those who innately gravitate towards it. We would have fewer people masking their true selves, and more people contributing to the world in ways that are natural to them and their interests. I have a profound aversion to thoughtlessly putting myself out there just to alleviate uncomfortable silences. Likewise, I don't feel compelled to be the center of attention, especially at the cost of being my authentic self. It isn't in my nature to want to take up space; instead of taking up space, I'd like to think I'm someone who creates it. 

There is power in silence, especially in a world that is increasingly becoming louder and louder. The shouting match, as we have seen, isn't working. It's all a form of entertainment, a facade that suppresses mindful deliberation and decision-making. We need quiet people to buffer all this nonsensical noise. You can say something, and not really be saying anything at all. How unfortunate.
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Quotes that deeply resonated with me:​

• "It's not that I'm so smart," said Einstein, who was a consummate introvert. "It's that I stay with problems longer."
• "Aggressive power beats you up; soft power wins you over."
• "In a state of flow, you're neither bored nor anxious, and you don't question your own adequacy. The key to flow is to pursue and activity for its own sake, not for the rewards it brings ... being relatively unmoved by rewards gives you the incalculable power to go your own way."
• "Embarrassment reveals how much the individual cares about the rules that bind us to one another."
• "Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured."
• "Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to."