--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know this type of person well from…" description: "\"“We know this type of person well from literature, probably because so many writers are sensitive introverts themselves. He “had gone through life with..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/susan-cain-647_books_we-know-this-type-of-person-well-from-li_655212.jpg" --- # We know this type of person well from literature, probably… ![“We know this type of person well from literature, probably because so many writers are sensitive introverts themselves. He “had gone through life with one skin fewer than most men,” the novelist Eric Malpass writes of his quiet and cerebral protagonist, also an author, in the novel The Long Long…” quote by Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/susan-cain-647_books_we-know-this-type-of-person-well-from-li_655212.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/susan-cain-647_books_we-know-this-type-of-person-well-from-li_655212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/susan-cain-647_books_we-know-this-type-of-person-well-from-li_655212.jpg) > ““We know this type of person well from literature, probably because so many writers are sensitive introverts themselves. He “had gone through life with one skin fewer than most men,” the novelist Eric Malpass writes of his quiet and cerebral protagonist, also an author, in the novel The Long Long Dances.”” [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. A sensitive, introverted person often feels exposed, as if they have less emotional protection than others. **In simple terms:** Introverts may feel more vulnerable. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect introverted strengths. Themes introversion vulnerability literature empathy Mood reflective empathetic Type observational literary When to use this quote - workplace collaboration - friendship building - creative writing - self‑acceptance Key Concepts psychology character study social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you create spaces that honor quiet strengths? - What assumptions do we make about introverts? A Different Perspective Introverts can thrive when environments are supportive, not limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Introverts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introverts/) [Long Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-long/) [Novelist Eric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist-eric-5231360/) [Person Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-literature-1284570/) [Protagonist Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protagonist-author-5231361/) [Sensitive Introverts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitive-introverts-5231359/) [Type of person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type-of-person/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“You are the protagonist and author of your life’s story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagy/you-are-the-protagonist-and-author-of-your-life-s-story/) [Jessica Hagy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagy/) > [Each person has a literature inside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/each-person-has-a-literature-inside-them/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [“The reader is the space on which all the quotations that make up a writing are inscribed without any of them being lost; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-reader-is-the-space-on-which-all-the-quotations-that-make-up-a/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [When work resonates with a person, whether it is literature or film or music, then they want to know more about the artist. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-feuerzeig/when-work-resonates-with-a-person-whether-it-is-literature-or-film-or/) [Jeff Feuerzeig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-feuerzeig/) > [I made a compact with myself that in my person literature should stand by itself, of itself, and for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-made-a-compact-with-myself-that-in-my-person-literature-should/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Each person has a literature inside them. But when people lose language, when they have to experiment with putting their thoughts together on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/each-person-has-a-literature-inside-them-but-when-people-lose/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [ \[Introverts,\] the world needs you and it needs the things you carry. So I wish you the best of all possible journeys and the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-the-world-needs-you-and-it-needs-the-things-you-carry-so-i/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Introverts are drawn to the inner world of thought and feeling, said Jung, extroverts to the external life of people and activities. Introverts focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-are-drawn-to-the-inner-world-of-thought-and-feeling-said/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“The trick for introverts is to honor their styles instead of allowing themselves to be swept up by prevailing norms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-trick-for-introverts-is-to-honor-their-styles-instead-of-allowing/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-in-contrast-may-have-strong-social-skills-and-enjoy/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“introverts are uniquely good at leading initiative-takers. Because of their inclination to listen to others and lack of interest in dominating social situations, introverts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-are-uniquely-good-at-leading-initiative-takers-because-of/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [INTROVERTS are especially vulnerable to challenges like marital tension, a parent’s death, or abuse. They’re more likely than their peers to react to these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-are-especially-vulnerable-to-challenges-like-marital/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Extroverts are more likely to take a quick-and-dirty approach to problem-solving, trading accuracy for speed, making increasing numbers of mistakes as they go, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/extroverts-are-more-likely-to-take-a-quick-and-dirty-approach-to/) [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/) > [“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/) ## 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. 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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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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