The Power of a Positive No Quotes

“If the other refuses to respect your No, you may see only two choices: submission and outright war. Yet there is a third choice, highlighted by Gandhi: to underscore your Positive No. Don’t overreact, underscore. To underscore means to emphasize patiently and persistently that No in fact means No. It means continuing to stand up for what is important to you without destroying the possibility of a deal or a healthy relationship.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“If you are refusing an alcoholic drink, for instance, you don’t need to justify your refusal. A simple respectful “No thanks” will do. You know your Yes—that is essential—but sometimes you keep it to yourself, because it is your business and not theirs.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“You need confidence to stand up for yourself in the face of the other’s reaction. You need power to be able to follow through on your No if the other refuses to respect it.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“When you say that you have a policy, you are signaling that your No is not a one-time message but an ongoing practice to which you have given a lot of thought. It is a signal of resolve, a sign that you will not budge.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“Thanks to the knowledge revolution, we have more information and more choices than ever before. But we also have more decisions to make and less time to make them as the pace of life picks up greater speed with each so-called labor-saving technological advance. The boundaries between home and the workplace are eroding as work reaches people by cell phone and e-mail, anywhere anytime. The rules are also eroding and the temptation to cut corners and bend ethical standards is powerful. Everywhere people are finding it hard to set and maintain boundaries. No is today’s biggest challenge.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

“You can empathize without sympathizing.”
― William Ury, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes