I Look Back On My Years As

Introversion- Along With Its Cousins Sensitivity, Seriousness, And Shyness- Is Now A Second-class Personality Trait, Somewhere Between A Disappointment And A Pathology. Introverts Living In The Extrovert Ideal Are Like Women In A Man's World, Discounted Because Of A Trait That Goes To The Core Of Who They Are. Extroversion Is An Enormously Appealing Personality Style, But We've Turned It Into An Oppressive Standard To Which Most Of Us Feel We Must Conform.

We Know From Myths And Fairy Tales That There Are Many Different Kinds Of Powers In This World. One Child Is Given A Light Saber, Another A Wizard's Education. The Trick Is Not To Amass All The Different Kinds Of Power, But To Use Well The Kind You've Been Granted.

Introverts Are Capable Of Acting Like Extroverts For The Sake Of Work They Consider Important, People They Love, Or Anything They Value Highly.

I Think The Shyness One Feels In Childhood Is Often Overcome With Time. There Are Children Who Hide Behind Their Parents' Legs, But You Don't See Grown-ups Hiding Behind People. It Just Doesn't Happen. I Mean, Not That Often. People Develop Social Skills Over Time.

The Purpose Of School Should Be To Prepare Kids For The Rest Of Their Lives, But Too Often What Kids Need To Be Prepared For Is Surviving The School Day Itself.