Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi — all these peopled described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy. And they all took the spotlight, even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to.

Should we become so proficient at self-presentation that we can dissemble without anyone suspecting?

Solitude matters. And for some people it's the air they breathe.

Any time people come together in a meeting, we're not necessarily getting the best ideas; we're just getting the ideas of the best talkers.

One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.

What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50 percent.

I prefer listening to talking, reading to socializing... I like to think before I speak (softly).