--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we assume that quiet and loud people…" description: "\"“If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful peo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg" --- # If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the… ![“If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day. This would mean that an awful lot of bad ideas prevail while good ones get squashed. Yet studies in group dynamics suggest…” quote by Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg) > ““If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day. This would mean that an awful lot of bad ideas prevail while good ones get squashed. Yet studies in group dynamics suggest that this is exactly what happens.”” [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Louder voices dominate decision‑making, causing many good ideas to be ignored while bad ones prevail. **In simple terms:** Loud people win, even if ideas are bad. Key Takeaway Encourage equal speaking time. Themes leadership communication bias decisionmaking Mood thoughtful concerned Type analytical critical When to use this quote - team meetings - brainstorming sessions - boardrooms - classroom discussions Key Concepts social psychology group dynamics introversion Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure all ideas are heard? - What structures can reduce dominance bias? A Different Perspective Quiet voices may be dismissed even when ideas are strong. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/) [Bad ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-ideas/) [Group Dynamics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/group-dynamics-241742/) [Ideas Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-worry-605585/) [Loud People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loud-people-236669/) [Worry Louder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-louder-6134967/) ## Related quotes > [People with big ideas worry. They lie awake at night and fret as they try to climb up the social or financial ladder. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/people-with-big-ideas-worry-they-lie-awake-at-night-and-fret-as-they/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [Money-or rather the lack of it to carry out my ideas-may worry me, but it does not excite me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/money-or-rather-the-lack-of-it-to-carry-out-my-ideas-may-worry-me-but/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [“The risk with our students is that they’re very good at getting their way. But that doesn’t mean they’re going the right way.” If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-risk-with-our-students-is-that-they-re-very-good-at-getting-their/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Group dynamics are complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-zarin/group-dynamics-are-complicated/) [Jill Zarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-zarin/) > [Growing a moustache wouldn't really coordinate with the group dynamics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/growing-a-moustache-wouldn-t-really-coordinate-with-the-group-dynamics/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [I love people and comedy is great for group dynamics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-fightmaster/i-love-people-and-comedy-is-great-for-group-dynamics/) [E. R. Fightmaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-fightmaster/) > [Over the years, from serving in the CIA to sitting on non-profit boards, I have observed first-hand what the addition of even one woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/over-the-years-from-serving-in-the-cia-to-sitting-on-non-profit/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [How would we feel if you could pay extra to smoke on airplanes? When we decide something is a bad idea in general for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gleick/how-would-we-feel-if-you-could-pay-extra-to-smoke-on-airplanes-when/) [Peter Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gleick/) > [I have done conferences explaining that cloud is a bad idea. It's putting all your eggs in one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/i-have-done-conferences-explaining-that-cloud-is-a-bad-idea-it-s/) [Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/) > [“Sometimes I have good ideas, sometimes I have bad ideas and sometimes I have colossally bad ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-cellier/sometimes-i-have-good-ideas-sometimes-i-have-bad-ideas-and-sometimes/) [Melanie Cellier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-cellier/) > [Idea-Advocacy Matrix highlights a couple of things: that good ideas need to be "sold" if they are ever going to see the light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daly/idea-advocacy-matrix-highlights-a-couple-of-things-that-good-ideas/) [John Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daly/) > [More than any other personality trait, my mother seemed to be ruled by anger and sadness. She seemed to hate being a mother. Watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/more-than-any-other-personality-trait-my-mother-seemed-to-be-ruled-by/) [Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Government likes committees... a lot. Committees kill all the really good ideas and generally all the really bad ideas. They produce middle-ground mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-devos/government-likes-committees-a-lot-committees-kill-all-the-really-good/) [Betsy DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-devos/) > [By the time I was seventeen, I was on my way to Hollywood and didn't look back. My family is supportive now, but like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/by-the-time-i-was-seventeen-i-was-on-my-way-to-hollywood-and-didn-t/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) ## More by Susan Cain > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“where we fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum. Our place on this continuum influences our choice of friends and mates, and how we make conversation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/where-we-fall-on-the-introvert-extrovert-spectrum-our-place-on-this/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they’re good talkers, but they don’t have good ideas,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/i-worry-that-there-are-people-who-are-put-in-positions-of-authority/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“He believes, as most of us do, that venting anger lets off steam. The “catharsis hypothesis”—that aggression builds up inside us until it’s healthily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/he-believes-as-most-of-us-do-that-venting-anger-lets-off-steam-the/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Soft power is not limited to moral exemplars like Mahatma Gandhi. Consider, for example, the much-ballyhooed excellence of Asians in fields like math and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/soft-power-is-not-limited-to-moral-exemplars-like-mahatma-gandhi/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Events like this don't give me the sense of oneness others seem to enjoy; it's always been private occasions that make me feel connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/events-like-this-don-t-give-me-the-sense-of-oneness-others-seem-to/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Social anxiety disorder”—which essentially means pathological shyness—is now thought to afflict nearly one in five of us. The most recent version of the Diagnostic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/social-anxiety-disorder-which-essentially-means-pathological-shyness/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Potential clients would walk out of Charlie’s office scared”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/potential-clients-would-walk-out-of-charlie-s-office-scared/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“So when introverts assume the observer role, as when they write novels, or contemplate unified field theory- or fall quiet at dinner parties- they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/so-when-introverts-assume-the-observer-role-as-when-they-write-novels/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Osborn’s theory had great impact, and company leaders took up brainstorming with enthusiasm. To this day, it’s common for anyone who spends time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/osborn-s-theory-had-great-impact-and-company-leaders-took-up/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/extroversion-is-an-enormously-appealing-personality-style-but-we-ve/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“But as the word satyagraha implies, Gandhi’s passivity was not weakness at all. It meant focusing on an ultimate goal and refusing to divert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/but-as-the-word-satyagraha-implies-gandhi-s-passivity-was-not/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“The Extrovert Ideal has been documented in many studies, though this research has never been grouped under a single name. Talkative people, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-extrovert-ideal-has-been-documented-in-many-studies-though-this/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“introverts prefer to work independently, and solitude can be a catalyst to innovation. As the influential psychologist Hans Eysenck once observed, introversion “concentrates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-prefer-to-work-independently-and-solitude-can-be-a/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [ “People who tend to \[suppress their negative emotions\] regularly,” concludes Grob, “might start to see the world in a more negative light.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/people-who-tend-to-suppress-their-negative-emotions-regularly/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) [Explore all 428 Susan Cain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## More Bad idea quotes > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [By the time I was seventeen, I was on my way to Hollywood and didn't look back. My family is supportive now, but like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/by-the-time-i-was-seventeen-i-was-on-my-way-to-hollywood-and-didn-t/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [One thing I know is that it is a bad idea to marry someone who had bad parents. If they hated their mother, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/one-thing-i-know-is-that-it-is-a-bad-idea-to-marry-someone-who-had/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Government likes committees... a lot. Committees kill all the really good ideas and generally all the really bad ideas. They produce middle-ground mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-devos/government-likes-committees-a-lot-committees-kill-all-the-really-good/) [Betsy DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-devos/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [More than any other personality trait, my mother seemed to be ruled by anger and sadness. She seemed to hate being a mother. Watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/more-than-any-other-personality-trait-my-mother-seemed-to-be-ruled-by/) [Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/) > [“Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to inflict my rantings on you, even though we are destined to spend the rest of our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/sorry-he-apologized-i-didn-t-mean-to-inflict-my-rantings-on-you-even/) [connie willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“Jesus. Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, L.A., and Seattle, plus two small towns she'd never heard of in the Gulf Coast region. The unit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/jesus-chicago-kansas-city-denver-phoenix-l-a-and-seattle-plus-two/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [“Civilization is an experiment, a very recent way of life in the human career, and it has a habit of walking into what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/civilization-is-an-experiment-a-very-recent-way-of-life-in-the-human/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [Idea-Advocacy Matrix highlights a couple of things: that good ideas need to be "sold" if they are ever going to see the light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daly/idea-advocacy-matrix-highlights-a-couple-of-things-that-good-ideas/) [John Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daly/) > [“It is not a bad idea to get into the habbit of writing one's thoughts. It saves one having to bother anyone else with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-colegate/it-is-not-a-bad-idea-to-get-into-the-habbit-of-writing-one-s-thoughts/) [Isabel Colegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-colegate/) > [“Medical research has revealed that in about one-tenth of the population, the liver processes alcohol differently, releasing a chemical messenger that creates the craving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylie-jones/medical-research-has-revealed-that-in-about-one-tenth-of-the/) [Kaylie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaylie-jones/) > [“Sometimes I have good ideas, sometimes I have bad ideas and sometimes I have colossally bad ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-cellier/sometimes-i-have-good-ideas-sometimes-i-have-bad-ideas-and-sometimes/) [Melanie Cellier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-cellier/) > [I have done conferences explaining that cloud is a bad idea. It's putting all your eggs in one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/i-have-done-conferences-explaining-that-cloud-is-a-bad-idea-it-s/) [Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/) > [Minimum sales prices for alcohol are a startlingly bad idea. As with excise duties, the effects are regressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/minimum-sales-prices-for-alcohol-are-a-startlingly-bad-idea-as-with/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) [Browse all 550 Bad idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day. This would mean that an awful lot of bad ideas prevail while good ones get squashed. Yet studies in group dynamics suggest that this is exactly what happens.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Cain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people-have-roughly-the-same-number/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad idea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people-have-roughly-the-same-number/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/susan-cain-647_bad-idea_if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people_1609386.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should…” — Susan Cain", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susan Cain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If we assume that quiet and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people-have-roughly-the-same-number/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/if-we-assume-that-quiet-and-loud-people-have-roughly-the-same-number/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```