--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We put too much of a premium on…" description: "\"We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.\" — Susan Cain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/susan-cain-647_critical_we-put-too-much-of-a-premium-on-presenti_76491.jpg" --- # We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough… ![“We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.” quote by Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/susan-cain-647_critical_we-put-too-much-of-a-premium-on-presenti_76491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/susan-cain-647_critical_we-put-too-much-of-a-premium-on-presenti_76491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/susan-cain-647_critical_we-put-too-much-of-a-premium-on-presenti_76491.jpg) > “We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.” [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. The quote criticizes the overemphasis on style and appearance at the expense of deep analysis and thoughtful reasoning. **In simple terms:** Prioritize substance over showmanship. Key Takeaway Depth beats flash. Themes authenticity critical thinking communication values culture Mood thoughtful critical reflective Type observation advice When to use this quote - public speaking - marketing pitches - academic seminars - media interviews - leadership meetings Key Concepts presentation vs. substance cognitive depth social expectations Practical Applications - designing curricula that stress critical analysis - coaching executives on evidence‑based decision making Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance engaging delivery with rigorous content? - What habits reinforce substance over superficiality? A Different Perspective While style can engage audiences, it can also be a vehicle for persuasive but shallow arguments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Critical thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical-thinking/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Premium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premium/) [Premium Presenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premium-presenting-988387/) [Presenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presenting/) [Presenting Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presenting-substance-988388/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Substance Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance-critical-988389/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) ## Related quotes > [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. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/i-worry-that-there-are-people-who-are-put-in-positions-of-authority-4/) [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-3/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/watson-glaser-critical-thinking-appraisal-test/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Although the world places a premium on the latest things, some realities are discovered by looking into the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/although-the-world-places-a-premium-on-the-latest-things-some/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [As far as I'm concerned, however, it is clear that the concept of premium will be increasingly defined through sustainability in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-reithofer/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-however-it-is-clear-that-the-concept-of/) [Norbert Reithofer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-reithofer/) > [The revolution is here. It's established that Netflix is a place where you can get premium content. It's a whole new world. It's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-hurwitz/the-revolution-is-here-it-s-established-that-netflix-is-a-place-where/) [Mitchell Hurwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-hurwitz/) > [A lot of people, especially Christians, want to put you in this box of being a Christian actor, and I don't believe in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-levi/a-lot-of-people-especially-christians-want-to-put-you-in-this-box-of/) [Zachary Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-levi/) > [I haven't watched anything I've been in since I've done it. I have never put in a movie at home that I've been in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt/i-haven-t-watched-anything-i-ve-been-in-since-i-ve-done-it-i-have/) [Helen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt/) > [If YouTube has plenty of premium content, people will watch that in the same way they watch 'Game of Thrones' or 'Breaking Bad.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cabrera/if-youtube-has-plenty-of-premium-content-people-will-watch-that-in/) [John Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cabrera/) > [We've been paying for 100 percent of preventive care. But if you're not getting annual physicals, then you're not going to gain a financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-burd/we-ve-been-paying-for-100-percent-of-preventive-care-but-if-you-re/) [Steven Burd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-burd/) > [People have a comic bent or an angularity to their thinking, and those are the people who make jokes. And it's usually people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-reiner/people-have-a-comic-bent-or-an-angularity-to-their-thinking-and-those/) [Carl Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-reiner/) > [Yahoo! is committed to building the richest set of premium and personalized content experiences for our users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-levinsohn/yahoo-is-committed-to-building-the-richest-set-of-premium-and/) [Ross Levinsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-levinsohn/) > [It doesn't make much sense and it's nil premium. They're going to have co-CEOs...which is a very uncomfortable structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/it-doesn-t-make-much-sense-and-it-s-nil-premium-they-re-going-to-have/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [Awesome! I'd just bullied Jesus into doing a shot with me. Nobody would ever believe it, but I didn't care. We ordered the insanely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/awesome-i-d-just-bullied-jesus-into-doing-a-shot-with-me-nobody-would/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [The people who are working, paying their taxes are put into the system so that affordable housing could be built in neighborhoods that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/the-people-who-are-working-paying-their-taxes-are-put-into-the-system/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) ## 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 Critical quotes > [People will pay a price for putting political obstruction over progress in a time that is so critical and urgent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/people-will-pay-a-price-for-putting-political-obstruction-over/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [Our critical day is not the very day of our death; but the whole course of our life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/our-critical-day-is-not-the-very-day-of-our-death-but-the-whole/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [But whether you stay or go, the critical decision you can make is to stop letting your partner distort the lens of your life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/but-whether-you-stay-or-go-the-critical-decision-you-can-make-is-to/) [Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/) > [As a businessperson, I dont have the power to change the government. That is in the hands of the political leaders. However, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadashi-yanai/as-a-businessperson-i-dont-have-the-power-to-change-the-government/) [Tadashi Yanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadashi-yanai/) > [It has never been more critical that a leader step forward to accelerate our understanding of cancer - and champion the effort to finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-dzau/it-has-never-been-more-critical-that-a-leader-step-forward-to/) [Victor J. Dzau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-dzau/) > [Pleasure is by no means an infallible critical guide, but it is the least fallible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/pleasure-is-by-no-means-an-infallible-critical-guide-but-it-is-the/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The critical question about regret is whether experience led to growth and new learning. 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