Introvert Power Quotes

“I am rarely bored alone; I am often bored in groups and crowds.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Let's clear one thing up: Introverts do not hate small talk because we dislike people. We hate small talk because we hate the barrier it creates between people.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“When an introvert cares about someone, she also wants contact, not so much to keep up with the events of the other person’s life, but to keep up with what’s inside: the evolution of ideas, values, thoughts, and feelings.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“As an introvert, you can be your own best friend or your worst enemy. The good news is we generally like our own company, a quality that extroverts often envy. We find comfort in solitude and know how to soothe ourselves. Even our willingness to look at ourselves critically is often helpful.

But, we can go too far. We can hoard responsibility and overlook the role others play. We can kick ourselves when we’re down. How many times have you felt lousy about something, only to get mad at yourself for feeling lousy?”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“This is why it is sometimes hard for introverts to find words: we really hate to compromise, and words are always a compromise.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“An introvert may feel asocial when pressured to go to a party that doesn’t interest her. But for her, the event does not promise meaningful interaction. In fact, she knows that the party will leave her feeling more alone and alienated. Her social preference may be to stay home and reflect on a conversation with a friend, call that friend, and come to an understanding that is meaningful to her. Or she might indulge in the words of a favorite author, feeling a deep connection with a person she has never met. From the perspective of a partygoer, this introvert may appear to be asocial, when, in fact, the introvert is interacting in a much different way.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Introverts keep their best stuff inside—that is, until it is ready. And this drives extroverts crazy! The explanation for the introvert’s behavior—and there must be an explanation for this behavior, say the extroverts—is that he or she is antisocial, out of touch, or simply a snob.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Though introverts are drained by interaction, we can take immense pleasure in watching the scene around us.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“What we share as introverts is the love of ideas and the desire to explore them with minimal interruption. We want and need input, but we’d rather get it through reading, research, and rich conversation than through unfiltered talk.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“While the introvert is reflecting on the question (thinking first), the extrovert takes this as an invitation to fill the void (talking first). As long as the introvert doesn’t interrupt, the extrovert continues to fill the interpersonal space with talk. But as long as the extrovert talks, the introvert can’t think and stays mute. Mute means the invitation is still open, and continued talk assures that the introvert remains mute. By the time the extrovert pauses to ask, the introvert’s head is pounding and he or she just wants to get out so she can think. The extrovert just assumes the introvert had nothing to say, and moves on.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“A good rule of thumb is that any environment that consistently leaves you feeling bad about who you are is the wrong environment.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Reading is like travel, allowing you to exit your own life for a bit, and to come back with a renewed, even inspired, perspective.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“In a conversation with someone sharing gossip, the introvert’s eyes glaze over and his brow furrows as he tries to comprehend how this conversation could interest anyone. This is not because the introvert is morally superior—he just doesn’t get it. As we’ve discussed, introverts are energized and excited by ideas. Simply talking about people, what they do and who they know, is noise for the introvert. He’ll be looking between the lines for some meaning, and this can be hard work! Before long, he’ll be looking for a way out of the conversation.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Extroverts want us to have fun, because they assume we want what they want. And sometimes we do. But “fun” itself is a “bright” word, the kind of word that comes with flashing lights and an exclamation point! One of Merriam-Webster’s definitions of “fun” is “violent or excited activity or argument.” The very word makes me want to sit in a dimly lit room with lots of pillows—by myself.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“In “America the extroverted,” relationships are good, and even if they are very bad, they are better than no relationship. Introverts don’t think this way. Many of us want and have great relationships, but we generally prefer “no relationship” to a bad one. Quality matters. We conserve our relationship resources, because we know they are limited.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Whatever kind of introvert you are, some people will find you “too much” in some ways and “not enough” in others.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Introvert conversations are like jazz, where each player gets to solo for a nice stretch before the other player comes in and does his solo. And like jazz, once we get going, we can play all night. Extrovert conversations are more like tennis matches, where thoughts are batted back and forth, and players need to be ready to respond. Introverts get winded pretty quickly.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“For the introvert, conversation can be a very limited forum for self-expression. When a song moves you, a writer “gets” you, or a theory enlightens you—you and its creator are connecting in a realm beyond sight or speech.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Introverts tend to internalize problems. In other words, we place the source of problems within and blame ourselves. Though introverts may also externalize and see others as the problem, it’s more convenient to keep the problem “in house.” Internalizers tend to be reliable and responsible, but we can also be very hard on ourselves.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Isn’t it refreshing to know that what comes perfectly natural for you is your greatest strength? Your power is in your nature. You may not think it’s a big deal that you can spend hours immersed in something that interests you—alone—but the extrovert next door has no idea how you do it.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“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

“Secondly, extroverts often incorrectly assume that introverts are suffering. Introverts internalize problems; we like to take things inside and work on them there. Extroverts prefer to externalize and deal with problems interactively. Because of this difference, introverts may seem psychologically burdened, while extroverts spread the burden around and seem healthier—from an extroverted standpoint. But note that I said introverts like to take problems inside. Sure, an introvert can overdo it, but so can the extrovert who feels compelled to express every unresolved thought or emotion. The former gets depressed or anxious and goes to therapy; the latter sends others to therapy.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“Your nature is not the problem. The problem is that you have become alienated from your nature -- from your power source.”
― 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

“Introverts paradoxically pull away from culture and create culture.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“I prefer to interact with people one-on-one. Any more than that, and the dynamic becomes competitive.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“It takes an extrovert to bring out my upbeat side. If it were up to me, everyone would probably just sit around talking about mysteries of the universe.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“We know we only have so much energy for reaching out; if we’re going to invest, we want it to be good.”
― Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

“I believed that if I had the whole story, if I had the opportunity to really know the person I was sitting with, there would be nobody I could not love.”
― 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