Say No Quotes

“The word no is like an asset in a metaphorical bank account where our life’s energy is the holding. Use it to save, and use it to earn a greater sense of yourself, what’s important to you, and where you want to spend your time and energy.”
― Keisha Blair, Holistic Wealth Personal Workbook: 32 Life Lessons to Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity, and Happiness

“Say No! Accept the burdens of revenge.”
― Dejan Stojanovic, The Sun Watches the Sun

“Stop being boring. You're banned from saying no."
"But that's my catchphrase."
"Make a new one.”
― Alice Oseman, Solitaire

“Develop a specific alternative as a fallback if the negotiation fails. If you can’t walk away, you can’t say no. Too often, cooperative people leave themselves without choices at the bargaining table. They have no alternatives planned if negotiations fail. Coaching note: your preparation must always include plan B. Life will go on if there is no deal, so find out what your alternatives are, work on improving them, and bring a clear vision of them with you to the negotiation. Remember the lesson of Janie Rail in chapter 6. Build your own railroad if you have to. There is always an alternative.”
― G. Richard Shell, Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People

“Most attackers are looking for easy victims. They’re not looking for a fight, not even a verbal one. Saying No makes you a less attractive target. Submitting and being nice to attackers in the hope that they will be nice to you in return is not the safest strategy.” Saying “No!” helps you gather your energy, reminds you of your right to say No, draws attention, and expresses your power.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“Clarity about what is essential fuels us with the strength to say no to the nonessentials.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“Saying no is a skill; when and how to say no is an art.”
― Vikrmn: CA Vikram Verma, You By You

“Learn to say no is a different kind of art and self care.”
― Rehan Katrawale

“Below you’ll discover how to say no in a way that is clear, respectful, and loving, while still maintaining your boundaries.”
― Aziz Gazipura, Not Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty... And Start Speaking Up, Saying No, Asking Boldly, And Unapologetically Being Yourself

“If despite all your efforts, the other party won’t say “No,” you’re dealing with people who are indecisive or confused or who have a hidden agenda. In cases like that you have to end the negotiation and walk away.”
― Chris Voss, Never Split The Difference, The Storyteller's Secret [Hardcover], Talk Like TED, TED Talks 4 Books Collection Set

“Yes,” as I always say, is nothing without “How?” You’ll also discover the importance of nonverbal communication; how to use “How” questions to gently say “No”,”
― Chris Voss, Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

“How am I supposed to . . . ? How do we know . . . ? How can we . . . ? There is great power in treating jerks with deference. It gives you the ability to be extremely assertive—to say “No”—in a hidden fashion.”
― Chris Voss, Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

“Interestingly, No can attract more help if you are being attacked than even the word help. So say the trainers at Impact Bay Area, the organization that trains women in self-defense. Shouting “No!” attracts the attention of others naturally and recruits any help that may be available in earshot. Equally important, the trainers say, “saying No is a way for you to communicate with yourself. It forces you to breathe, which breaks the freeze response. It gathers your energy. It gets your adrenaline going. It reminds you of the [self-defense] class, your muscle memory, the support of the line [your peers], and the fact that you have the right to fight for your own safety. Most attackers are looking for easy victims. They’re not looking for a fight, not even a verbal one. Saying No makes you a less attractive target. Submitting and being nice to attackers in the hope that they will be nice to you in return is not the safest strategy.” Saying “No!” helps you gather your energy, reminds you of your right to say No, draws attention, and expresses your power.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“In the workplace, managers and leaders who knew how to say No would do a much better job of keeping their organizations strategically focused. People in departments such as finance and human resources who regularly have to say No to internal clients would be able to contribute more effectively to the organization’s success. People in sales would know when and how to say No to customers—and would feel supported in doing so. And everyone would be more empowered to create a healthier balance between work and personal life.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“Saying No is a way for you to communicate with yourself. It forces you to breathe, which breaks the freeze response. It gathers your energy. It gets your adrenaline going. It reminds you of the [self-defense] class, your muscle memory, the support of the line [your peers], and the fact that you have the right to fight for your own safety.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“Many of us say yes to things because we are eager to please and make a difference. Yet the key to making our highest contribution may well be saying no. As Peter Drucker said, “People are effective because they say ‘no,’ because they say, ‘this isn’t for me.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“To eliminate nonessentials means saying no to someone. Often. It means pushing against social expectations. To do it well takes courage and compassion. So eliminating the nonessentials isn’t just about mental discipline. It’s about the emotional discipline necessary to say no to social pressure.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“Warren decided early in his career it would be impossible for him to make hundreds of right investment decisions, so he decided that he would invest only in the businesses that he was absolutely sure of, and then bet heavily on them. He owes 90% of his wealth to just ten investments. Sometimes what you don’t do is just as important as what you do." In short, he makes big bets on the essential few investment opportunities and says no to the many merely good ones.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“The question you should be asking yourself is not: “What, of my list of competing priorities, should I say yes to?” Instead, ask the essential question: “What will I say no to?” This is the question that will uncover your true priorities.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“The point is not to say no to all requests. The point is to say no to the nonessentials so we can say yes to the things that really matter. It is to say no—frequently and gracefully—to everything but what is truly vital.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“There may be a time when the most graceful way to say no is to simply say a blunt no. But whether it’s “I am flattered that you thought of me but I’m afraid I don’t have the bandwidth” or “I would very much like to but I’m overcommitted,” there are a variety of ways of refusing someone clearly and politely without actually using the word no.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“I say no very easily because I know what is important to me.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“Ask the essential question: “What will I say no to?” This is the question that will uncover your true priorities. It is the question that will reveal the best path forward for your team.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“But this time I felt a sense of immediate clarity: in that instant, I just knew, even as the words escaped my lips, that this was the essential path for me. What made me so sure I was on the right path was how the clarity disappeared when I even thought of applying elsewhere. Several times I started the application process for other programs but always stopped after a few minutes. It just didn’t feel right. So I concentrated my efforts only on that single application. As I waited to hear back from the university, many other opportunities, some quite tempting, presented themselves. I said no to all of them. But despite the uncertainty of not yet knowing whether I had been accepted, I didn’t feel anxious or nervous. Instead, I felt calm, focused, and in control.”
― Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

“Strategy is scarcity’s child and to have a strategy, rather than vague aspirations, is to choose one path and eschew others. There is difficult psychological, political, and organizational work in saying “no” to whole worlds of hopes, dreams, and aspirations.”
― Richard Rumelt, Good Strategy Bad Strategy, Playing to Win [Hardcover] 2 Books Collection Set

“Saying no forces an idea to defend itself with facts. It forces a manager under the influence of his top hat to stop and think.”
― Michael Lopp, Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

“They were designed to appease the folks who had just yelled at us, and while my confidence was shaky, I knew it was time to say no again—to them and to the executive team that wanted a quick turnaround. “No, we’re not going for mediocre. No, no one wants us to do me-too design. And, no, we’re not done with this roadmap until it’s something that inspires everyone in the room.” Now, the difference between me standing up in my office and giving a speech on inspirational product roadmaps and a manager who’s flirting with Crazy Town because of an executive beat-down is slim, but therein lies the art. Saying no is saying “stop,” and in a valley full of people who thrive on endless movement, the ability to strategically choose when it’s time to stop is the sign of a manager willing to defy convention.”
― Michael Lopp, Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

“Dear Daughter,
Be quick to say no to things that undermine your worth.”
― Gift Gugu Mona, Dear Daughter: Short and Sweet Messages for a Queen

“Dear Daughter,
Learn to stand firm and say no to things that destroy your brand.”
― Gift Gugu Mona, Dear Daughter: Short and Sweet Messages for a Queen

“Don't scatter yourself; you're not wind. Learn to say no.”
― Mitta Xinindlu