"We moved from what cultural historians call a culture of character to a culture of personality. During the culture of character, what was important was the good deeds that you performed when nobody was looking. … But at the turn of the century, when we moved into this culture of personality, suddenly what was admired was to be magnetic and charismatic."

“The world needs you and it needs the things you carry. So I wish you the best of all possible journeys and the courage to speak softly.”

“Groups follow the most charismatic person, even though there is no correlation between being a good speaker and having great ideas.”

“Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, while introversion is simply the preference for less stimulation. Shyness is inherently uncomfortable; introversion is not. The traits do overlap, though psychologists debate to what degree.”

“We've known about the transcendent power of solitude for centuries; it's only recently that we've forgotten it.”

“One honest relationship can be more productive than fistfuls of business cards.”

“There is zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.”