its imporant to be able to have input and to be able to react with sarcasm/comebacks if you work in a blue colar/trade type job, or any job where you work closely with other people.
although, laughing can be enough, you can just be known as the quiet one who laughs alot and you can choose when to have input. because alot of the really chatty people like to be the chatty ones and will accept all kinds of different personalities.
being able to react with comebacks is really all you need to survive and it can be something really simple.
but its not essential, most of the time people will accept you no matter how loud or quiet you are.
i have also met a few people who are really quiet at work and talk alot out of work, and visa versa, the other way around, which really throws up the concept of how we view quiet/loud.
the main issue is whether you are comfortable being either, is the problem more that you become jealous or envious of certain personalities which means you can try to emulate the people who are getting more attention.
if you are really struggling then start small. maybe do some classes in communication and join some hobby groups. learn through trial and error, through getting past awkward conversations and learning your way through it.
there is this story about a famous band. i wont mention the name, but you'd know them. so the bass player used to be the show off!! always had something to say about everything and would dominate tv interviews etc. the drummer was the quieter and conceded one at the time.
fifteen years later, things change and those two musicians are the opposites of that now. the really outgoing one is now the quiet and mellow one and the quieter musician in the band is now the show off!!
this shows you that perhaps it doesn't really matter how you are as long as you can feel some contentment inside yourself, and remember that people change over a few years, some stay the same, personalities vary, people show different sides depending on their comfort zone and environments they are thrown into.
its hard to wrap your head around it in the moment though which is when people start to feel negative, so maybe try to feel positive and content about being quiet in certain environments, like say, at work, at a relatives, at a certain party, around condescending people etc. Because its not your comfort zone and maybe you dont need to say much anyway.
Also back yourself. If you are quiet in certain scenarios then its probably because intuitively the situation is REALLY uncomfortable and your natural reaction is correct or warranted. At work this is common, there is a fakeness there and there is politics around you. Maybe its around people that are intimidating or an intimidating environment, like if you are at a club that feels a bit "too cool for school", or at a gym, in a crowded area perhaps.
Who says you have to be relaxed and confident all the time, maybe you are that way only when the situation feels right for you. There is nothing wrong with that.
So remember to give yourself some acceptance, don't feel down for being quiet, because there is a you that is relaxed and chatty, given the right situation. ITs just that some people have tapped into a personality that can access being outgoing when they want it, which would have come through some form of conditioning or lifestyle they had, maybe they had a friend that taught them to be more chatty.