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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can ... - WordPress.com

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can ... - WordPress.com

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I had always imag<strong>in</strong>ed Rosa Parks asa stately woman with a bold temperament,someone who could easily standup to a busload <strong>of</strong> glower<strong>in</strong>g passengers.But when she died <strong>in</strong> 2005 at theage <strong>of</strong> n<strong>in</strong>ety-two, the flood <strong>of</strong> obituariesrecalled her as s<strong>of</strong>t-spoken, sweet,and small <strong>in</strong> stature. <strong>The</strong>y said she was“timid and shy” but had “the courage<strong>of</strong> a lion.” <strong>The</strong>y were full <strong>of</strong> phraseslike “radical humility” and “quiet fortitude.”What does it mean to be quietand have fortitude? these descriptionsasked implicitly. How could you be shyand courageous?Parks herself seemed aware <strong>of</strong> thisparadox, call<strong>in</strong>g her autobiography<strong>Quiet</strong> Strength—a title that challenges usto question our assumptions. Whyshouldn’t quiet be strong? And whatelse can quiet do that we don’t give itcredit for?26/929

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