Saying No Quotes

“Whether they’re family or friends, manipulators are difficult to escape from. Give in to their demands and they’ll be happy enough, but if you develop a spine and start saying no, it will inevitably bring a fresh round of head games and emotional blackmail. You’ll notice that breaking free from someone else’s dominance will often result in them accusing you of being selfish. Yes, you’re selfish, because you’ve stopped doing what they want you to do for them. Wow. Can these people hear themselves?!”
― Rosie Blythe, The Princess Guide to Life

“...there are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don't really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.”
― Elaine St. James, Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More

“Take "no" as an encouragement to redouble his efforts, so it was easier to say "yes" right away.”
― Stieg Larsson

“It is extremely important to be able to make negative assertions. We must be able to say what is ‘not me’ in order to have a ‘me’. What we like has no meaning unless we know what we don’t like. Our yes has no meaning if we never say no. My chosen profession has no passion if ‘just anyone would do’. Our opinions and thoughts mean very little if there is nothing we disagree with.”
― Henry Cloud, Changes That Heal: How to Understand the Past to Ensure a Healthier Future

“In order for us to practice self-control, we must have a goal. We must have something we are saying “yes” to, which necessarily comes with things that we must say “no” to. We use self-control to maneuver ourselves toward this “yes.” This goal must be entirely our own. The minute another person is choosing and managing our goals for us, we have left self-control behind.”
― Danny Silk, Keep Your Love On: Connection Communication And Boundaries

“It's OK to have boundaries. You can tell someone "no" without having bad feelings toward them. You also never need to explain your boundaries once laid. A wise friend often states that "no" is a complete sentence.”
― Mat Auryn, Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation

“Tone is the hardest part of saying no.”
― Jonathan Price, Put That in Writing

“It is a failure of society if anyone needs to say “I have a partner” to turn someone down, and it is a failure of society if anyone needs to invoke a sexual orientation to avoid unwanted sex because saying no doesn’t do the job.”
― Angela Chen, Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex

“I’m officially giving myself permission to ask; What are Mr. Garcia’s intentions? Maybe I’m late to the game on this question. The thing is, I’ve seen myself in the mirror. Why would I suspect anyone of wanting this?”
― Michael Benzehabe, Zonked Out: The Teen Psychologist of San Marcos Who Killed Her Santa Claus and Found the Blue-Black Edge of the Love Universe

“I never intended to disappoint you. You created a one sided promise I never agreed to. Note to self: A request is not an obligation. A one-side promise is the recipe for resentment.”
― Brian Schwartz

“Saying no to small things means saying yes to big things.”
― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

“Saying NO is an art, master it.”
― Vikrmn: CA Vikram Verma, You By You

“You will have to say no to things to say yes to your work. It will be worth it.”
― Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You

“A No Mentor is there to help you feel confident about saying no to the things you really don’t want to do anyway or to help you finally discover your strong, brave yes in the midst of fear.”
― Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions

“Back when I was constantly trying to impress authority, I'd be really perfect and cheery on the outside but I would break down as soon as I was by myself... I had to learn to set healthy boundaries so I wouldn't put myself in a place of breakdown. Making pros and cons lists for hard decisions helped me do this. Now I'm standing up for my 'no.' I trust the instincts in my body; I get tension in my body if something isn't right for me. I have to trust my instincts without knowing the full picture. 'No' is a complete answer. 'No' means, 'I appreciate how much you want this, but I have to say no to you and say yes to myself." Fending is indeed standing up for your 'no.' It also entails letting others know that you are capable of fending for yourself.”
― Julie Lythcott-Haims, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult

“t’s not very easy to say no to fire-breathing mom dragons.”
― Julie Murphy, Dear Sweet Pea

“Saying ‘no’ to your children, when appropriate, is an act of love.”
― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That's Why You Have One

“Get so far out of your comfort zone you can’t find your way back.”
― Paulette Dale Ph.D, "Did You Say Something, Susan?”: How Any Woman Can Gain Confidence with Assertive Communication

“[When there's an event you don't really want to go to] there is this not unlikely circumstance that you will have a memory of an evening that was like ugh. But if you don't go you won't have any memory of that evening. It would just be another one where nothing happened.”
― Hank Green

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

“Know when to say ‘no.”
― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That's Why You Have One

“It is a failure of society if anyone needs to say “I have a partner” to turn someone down, and it is a failure of society if anyone needs to invoke a sexual orientation to avoid unwanted sex because saying no doesn’t do the job.”
― Angela Chen, Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex.

“Take note of how people treat you after you say no to their demands.”
― Mitta Xinindlu

“To end certain cycles in your life, you will need to say no to things you've once said yes to in the past. You have grown much wiser and you know better now. So dissimilar decisions will have to be made this time around. It's time to extract expired people, energies, and situations.”
― Robin S. Baker

“Maturity is the hability of calmly and politely saying 'no thank you' to sh*t and moving on with life with dignity.”
― Rodolfo Peon

“Wenn ich mein Nein nicht so verkümmern lassen würde, wäre meine Welt sicherer.”
― Olivia Kuderewski, Haha Heartbreak

“You have to go.' HIs words are clipped and at odds with the heat in his eyes, his ragged breaths.

'Why?' The cold is a shock to my system without his body heat.

'Because I can't.' He rakes both hands through his hair and leaves them on the top of his head. 'And I refuse to act on desire that isn't yours. So you have to walk back up those steps. Now.'

I shake my head. 'But I want-' Everything.

'This isn't your want.' He tilts his head up at the sky. 'That's the fucking problem. And I can't leave you out here on your own, so have just a little mercy on me and go.'

Silence ices over between us as I get ahold of myself. He's saying no.

And the shitty part about it isn't the chill of chivalrous rejection. It's that he's right. This started because I couldn't tell Tairn's emotions from my own. But those emotions are gone, aren't they? My door is wide open, and I don't feel anything coming from Tairn's direction.”
― Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing

“Every time you're tempted to say 'I'm too busy' say instead, 'That's not a priority for me, therefore it's not a promise I've made and I'll have to decline.' If you're brave enough to make the switch, one of two things is going to happen when you do:

Either you're going to feel really bad when you realize that something that deeply matters to you (your kids, your health, your marriage, your commitment to justice, cultivating lifelong friendships) isn't actually the priority you want to believe it is. This will compel you to go back to your Very Important Promises and see what you can cut in order to create space for the things that really matter to you.
OR
Saying that statement may initially sting because we've been conditioned to feel bad about 'Nos,' but as the words settle, it will feel true<>/i> to you. Instead of allowing this thing you're 'too busy for' to perpetually hang over your head, your NO (because it is not a priority or a promise) will free you up to unapologetically and confidently spend your limited moments and resources on the things that matter most to you.”
― Liz Forkin Bohannon, Beginner's Pluck: Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now

“Every time you're tempted to say 'I'm too busy' say instead, 'That's not a priority for me, therefore it's not a promise I've made and I'll have to decline.' If you're brave enough to make the switch, one of two things is going to happen when you do:

Either you're going to feel really bad when you realize that something that deeply matters to you (your kids, your health, your marriage, your commitment to justice, cultivating lifelong friendships) isn't actually the priority you want to believe it is. This will compel you to go back to your Very Important Promises and see what you can cut in order to create space for the things that really matter to you.
OR
Saying that statement may initially sting because we've been conditioned to feel bad about 'Nos,' but as the words settle, it will feel true to you. Instead of allowing this thing you're 'too busy for' to perpetually hang over your head, your NO (because it is not a priority or a promise) will free you up to unapologetically and confidently spend your limited moments and resources on the things that matter most to you.”
― Liz Forkin Bohannon, Beginner's Pluck: Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now

“Just out of curiosity, does anyone ever say ‘no’ to you?”
He slowly grinned. “You do it all the time.”
― Randi Rigby, Dibs