From our newsletter Outside the Lines - The Business Edition

Don’t take my word for it

Smart folk thinking out loud about the power of saying no.

“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”
-Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader

“What is a rebel? A man who says no.”
-Albert Camus, French author

“It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much.”
-Steve Jobs, American entrepreneur

“Learn to say No to the good so you can say Yes to the best.”
-John C Maxwell, American author

“The art of leadership is saying no. It is very easy to say yes.”
-Tony Blair, British statesman

“Yes and no are the oldest and simplest words, but they require the most thought.”
-Pythagoras, Greek mathematician and philosopher

“I only have ‘yes’ men around me, who needs ‘no’ men?”
-Mae West, American actress

“Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought.”
-Sir William Osler, Canadian physician

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