By+Sadaf+Ahsan

Silence is a virtue. Some people think that shyness was a sign of refinement1. It saved you from being “common” and prevented you from showing off. Alan Turing， a man of commanding intelligence when dealing with mathematics， was bashful in conversation.2

Some of the greatest minds of our time and the most successful people in different industries—from film and technology to literature and science—have been strong， silent types； shy people who have proven that you can be both quiet and a leader.

Rosa Parks羅莎·帕克斯，美國黑人民權運動先驅

While she may own one of the loudest moments in history in the name of equal rights when in 1955 she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man， Rosa Parks was also known for being notoriously3 soft-spoken and reserved. Her memoir4 was even titled Quiet Strength. In her book Quiet： the Power of Introverts in a World That Cant Stop Talking， Susan Cain writes， at the time of Parkss death， “the flood of obituaries recalled her as soft-spoken，5 sweet， and small in stature. They said she was ‘timid and shy but had ‘the courage of a lion. They were full of phrases like ‘radical humility and ‘quiet fortitude.”6

Abraham Lincoln亞伯拉罕·林肯，第16任美國總統(tǒng)

As one of the most iconic presidents of the United States， Abraham Lincoln has long been considered an imposing character in history.7 But Lincoln was also known for being the strong， silent type who never felt particularly comfortable around others—even as the leader of the country. According to Charles Francis Adams， Jr.， grandson of President John Quincy Adams， “He seemed shy to a degree， and very awkward in manner， as if he felt out of place.”8

Mark Zuckerberg馬克·扎克伯格，美國社交網站Facebook創(chuàng)始人

He may have created Facebook， but—if David Finchers9 The Social Network didnt already make it clear—Mark Zuckerberg has always been a lone wolf. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg10 told The New York Times in 2010 that the founder and CEO， “is shy and introverted and he often does not seem very warm to people who dont know him， but he is warm.” He may be quiet， she added， but “he really cares about the people who work here.”

Johnny Carson約翰尼·卡森，曾為美國脫口秀節(jié)目《今夜秀》主持人

Still considered the king of late night for being a great conversationalist with wit and charm to spare； off-screen， Johnny Carson was known for being the exact opposite.11 The late night television host was once dubbed12 “the most private public man who ever lived.” His friends and co-workers called him everything from “anti-social” to “uncomfortable.” “He was a classic introvert—the kind of person whos recharged by being alone and depleted by being among people，”13 Andrew Nicholls， Carsons head writer from 1988 to 1992， once said. “Hed get into his car with a palpable14 sense of relief after a show， like， ‘That was good； now Id like to be alone in the dark listening to jazz.”endprint

Nicole Kidman妮可·基德曼，澳大利亞女演員

She may have four Oscar nominations to her name， having won for playing Virginia Woolf in The Hours in 2003，15 but Nicole Kidman has never been quiet about her shyness off camera. She once said， “I am very shy， really shy. I even had a stutter as a kid， which I slowly got over， but I still regress into that shyness.16 So I dont like walking into a crowded restaurant by myself； I dont like going to a party by myself.”

Dr. Seuss蘇斯博士，美國兒童文學作家

If there was anything that scared Dr. Seuss， a.k.a.17 Theodor Seuss Geisel， the most， it was his young readers. And so he became a recluse18， rarely leaving his home. In their 1995 book， The Grinch Behind the Cat in the Hat， co-authors Judith and Neal Morgan wrote that Seuss was shy and afraid of disappointing his readers if they were ever to meet him， soon developing a fear of large crowds and publicity of any kind.19

Marissa Mayer瑪麗莎·梅耶爾，谷歌前工程師，現(xiàn)任雅虎首席執(zhí)行官

“Im just geeky and shy and I like to code”—if those arent the prerequisites to owning Silicon Valley， what are？20 Marissa Mayer famously took over the CEO reigns at Yahoo in 2012，21 but how did she begin her career？ As the first female engineer at Google all the way back in 1999， where she quickly climbed the ranks despite her preference for peace and quiet.

Steven Spielberg史蒂文·斯皮爾伯格，美國電影導演

He may be one of the most iconic directors in the business， behind such movies as E.T.， Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan， with a whopping 16 Oscar nominations to his name （and three wins），22 but Steven Spielberg would much rather have his movies to do the talking. In an interview with Nigel Farndale， the director admitted， “I work overtime to put up a facade23 to persuade people that I am not shy. I know how to break the ice better than I used to—but I still have a shaky24 stomach before I go to a party， even before I sit down for dinner with close friends.”

Audrey Hepburn奧黛麗·赫本，英國女演員

Nicole Kidman might have taken a page from Audrey Hepburns book， who lent the screen a similarly sweet charm， but was known for being soft-spoken and shy behind the scenes.25 Her son， Luca Dotti， recently said to the Mail Online that his mother was “very shy” about her fame and for being seen as a “beauty icon.” She herself once said， “Im an introvert…I love being by myself， love being outdoors， love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees， flowers， the sky.”

Elton John艾爾頓·約翰，英國歌手endprint

With one of the loudest personalities and styles in music， Elton John also happens to be a subdued26 man underneath. Rufus Wainwright， a close friend， once told Q Magazine27， “I dont think people are aware of how shy he is. Hes a bit like the Wizard of Oz28. On the one hand theres this big pomp and circumstance， but really beneath it all theres this very sweet little guy whos constantly feeling very insignificant， which is ironic of course.29 What Im saying is， hes quite shy.”

1. refinement： 舉止文雅，有教養(yǎng)。

2. Alan Turing： 艾倫·圖靈（1912—1954），英國數(shù)學家、邏輯學家，被稱為“計算機科學之父”、“人工智能之父”；commanding： 處于領先地位的；bashful： 害羞的，靦腆的。

3. notoriously： /眾所周知地。

4. memoir：（名人）回憶錄。

5. introvert： 性格內向的人，不愛交際者；Susan Cain： 美國作家、演說家，著有《安靜：內向性格的競爭力》；obituary：// 訃告，訃文。

6. phrase： 措辭，說法；humility： 謙遜，謙恭；fortitude： 毅力，堅忍。

7. iconic： // 偶像的，著名且有象征意義的；imposing： 給人印象深刻的。

8. John Quincy Adams： 約翰·昆西·亞當斯（1767—1848），第六任美國總統(tǒng)；feel out of place： 感到拘束，感覺不自在。

9. David Fincher： 大衛(wèi)·芬奇（1962— ），美國著名電影導演，代表作有《七宗罪》、《搏擊俱樂部》等，其執(zhí)導的電影《社交網絡》（The Social Network）主要講述馬克·扎克伯格和愛德華多·薩瓦林兩人建立和發(fā)展Facebook的過程。

10. Sheryl Sandberg： 雪莉·桑德伯格（1969— ），美國社交網站Facebook首席運營官（Chief Operating Officer）。

11. 因說話風趣富有魅力而被封為深夜之王的約翰尼·卡森在熒幕外完全是另外一副模樣。conversationalist： 健談的人。

12. dub： 把……稱為，給……起綽號。

13. recharge： 補充精力，恢復精力；deplete： 損耗。

14. palpable： 明顯的，顯而易見的。

15. nomination： 提名；Virginia Woolf： 弗吉尼亞·伍爾芙（1882—1941），英國女作家，意識流文學代表人物，被譽為20世紀現(xiàn)代主義與女性主義的先鋒，代表作有《達洛維夫人》、《到燈塔去》等；The Hours：《時時刻刻》，影片講述了三個不同時代的女人與伍爾芙的小說《達洛維夫人》之間千絲萬縷的聯(lián)系。

16. stutter： 結巴，口吃；regress： 退步，回歸。

17. a.k.a.： 亦稱做（also known as的縮寫）。

18. recluse： 隱居者。

19. Grinch： 格林奇，蘇斯博士虛構的角色，是一個暴躁的綠色怪物，痛恨圣誕節(jié)；publicity： 宣傳。

20. “我癡迷于電腦，很害羞，喜歡寫代碼”——如果這些不是入主硅谷的先決條件，那什么才是呢？geeky： 極客的，指癡迷于電腦的；prerequisite：先決條件，前提；code： v. 寫編碼；Silicon Valley： 硅谷，位于美國加利福尼亞州北部、舊金山灣區(qū)南部的高科技區(qū)。

21. take over： 接替，接任；reign： 任期。

22. E.T.， Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan：《外星人E.T.》、《辛德勒的名單》和《拯救大兵瑞恩》，這三部影片均由史蒂文·斯皮爾伯格執(zhí)導；whopping： 極大的，特大的。

23. facade： 表象，假象。

24. shaky： 虛弱的，顫抖的。這里指因緊張而胃里難受。

25. 妮可·基德曼可能在模仿奧黛麗·赫本，熒屏上她甜美迷人，屏幕外卻溫柔害羞。take a page from： 向……效仿，借鑒。

26. subdued： 沉默寡言的。

27. Q Magazine： 英國頂尖流行音樂雜志。

28. the Wizard of Oz： 指《綠野仙蹤》（The Wizard of Oz）中的魔法師，一個平凡而膽怯的中年男人，沒有什么法力。

29. 他表面上氣勢洶洶，但實際是個可愛的家伙，總認為自己微不足道，這確實很令人意外。pomp and circumstance： 講排場，裝腔作勢。endprint