It's as if they have thinner boundaries separating them from other people's emotions and from the tragedies and cruelties of the world.

I'm continually amazed by how many people who appear to be extroverts are actually introverts.

When you're more focused in getting your message across than you are worrying about how people are viewing you, that's huge.

Solve problems, make art, think deeply.

Or at school you might have been prodded to come “out of your shell”—that noxious expression which fails to appreciate that some animals naturally carry shelter everywhere they go, and that some humans are just the same.

I use a lot of old-fashioned expressions.

Whoever you are, bear in mind that appearance is not reality. Some people act like extroverts, but the effort costs them energy, authenticity, and even physical health. Others seem aloof or self-contained, but their inner landscapes are rich and full of drama. So the next time you see a person with a composed face and a soft voice, remember that inside her mind she might be solving an equation, composing a sonnet, designing a hat. She might, that is, be deploying the powers of quiet.