
Susan Cain
advocate for introverts
As a self-proclaimed introvert, Susan Cain was often surprised by her successes as a corporate lawyer until she learned to see the strengths of her soft-and-silent side and help millions of others do the same by writing her award-winning book, Quiet. Since delivering one of the most popular TED Talks of all time in 2012, Susan has had to do the work of a "pretend-extrovert" in order to advocate for the power of introverts as lovers, leaders and innovators.
Though she may be reticent to speak, Susan is imminently quotable. And, she's a collector of quotes herself. Appropriately enough, the quiet revolutionary's favorite words of wisdom are taken from Gandhi: "In a gentle way, you can shake the world."
pioneering | thought leadership in business and management
advocacy | taking a stand for introverts in a culture that heralds extroverts
2012 | published her best-selling book that was seven years in the making, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking
2014 | based on the popularity of her first talk, invited to give a second TED presentation for their "all-stars" session
2014 | co-founded the Quiet Revolution LLC to help put her insights on introverts into practice in workplaces and schools
from | to
corporate lawyer | acclaimed writer, speaker and "quiet revolutionary"
born
1968
birth name
Susan Horowitz
citizen of
The United States of America
educated at
Princeton University
Harvard Law School
loved studying
psychology | human nature
married to
Ken Cain
mother of
2 sons
advocate for
introverted students + workers
in her spare time
reads | writes | frequents cafes
mambo dances with her family
uses "old-fashioned expressions" | collects and shares quotes
tweets
@susancain
collapse bio bits"It’s about letting your true self speak. It’s about seeing your voice as an instrument and learning to play it right."
Seven Public Speaking Tips from a Coach for TED Speakers and CEOs | september 2011
"As a public speaker, you’re in a service position: a teacher, a giver, an enlightener. Your job is to take care of the audience, not to be judged by it or even to entertain it."
Seven Public Speaking Tips from a Coach for TED Speakers and CEOs | september 2011
"Most humans have two contradictory impulses: we love and need one another, yet we crave privacy and autonomy."
The Rise of the New Groupthink | january 2012
"I have such a strong inner life that I’m never bored and only occasionally lonely. No matter what mayhem is happening around me, I know I can always turn inward."
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking | january 2012
"The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it's a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk."
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking | january 2012
"[T]here’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas."
The Power of Introverts | february 2012
"Solitude matters, and for some people it is the air that they breathe."
The Power of Introverts | february 2012
"Still in our society, women are not seen as authorities, and young women internalize that."
Makers Moment: Biggest Challenge for Women | november 2012
"Young women sometimes have trouble knowing what their convictions are and defending them, but it's kind of like a muscle that can be strengthened over time, and so it's something you need to do consciously."
Makers Moment: Biggest Challenge for Women | november 2012
"My five year old says he understands the importance of finding work he loves. Thus, he plans to run an ice cream store."
@susancain on twitter | november 2013
for further reading about Susan Cain:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson {july 2014}
An Introvert's Bag of Books
Susan takes the stage for her first TED Talk on the power of introverts ~ an instant hit ~ in the spring of 2012.
Steve Jurvetson
Susan Cain: Embrace the Quiet
The founder of Actionable Books interviews Susan as she promotes the power of the introvert following the publication of her best-selling book, Quiet.
Actionable Books
Catalyst Atlanta 2012 // Susan Cain
Susan speaks with a decided extrovert at Catalyst Atlanta, a thought leadership conference for "change makers."
Catalyst
Author Susan Cain speaks at convocation about the power of introverts
Susan delivers a lecture to the incoming class at Case University's convocation ceremony. Susan's book, Quiet, was chosen as the college's "common reading book."
Arianna Wage | The Observer