60 Learning to Say “No” Quotes Even When It’s Not Easy

This is an issue that is of particular interest to me, as it is an issue that I struggled with for years myself.

The ability to say “no” comes easier to some, but feels virtually impossible to others.

Many people are very comfortable with saying “no” when their plate is too full, or they simply do not want to do something.

Other people find it almost unbearable to say no, no matter how busy they are, and how much they do not want to do a task.

Hopefully, these quotes will illuminate why it is easy for some, virtually impossible for others, but important for all nonetheless.

If you love this quote collection, read out our most popular quote article about short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

If you need more inspirational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Quotes about learning to say “no”

1. “There are often many things we feel we should so 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

2. “Let today mark a new beginning for you. Give yourself permission to say NO without feeling guilty , mean, or selfish, Anybody who gets upset and/or expects you to say YES all of the time clearly doesn’t have your best interest at heart, Always remember: You have a right to say NO without having to explain yourself, Be at peace with your decisions.” – Stephanie Lahart

3. “Say no to everything, so you can say yes to the one thing.” – Richie Norton

You will also enjoy our article on selfish people quotes.

4. “It takes heart to say no when our heart and brains and guts and most important, pride are yearning to say yes, Practice.” – Cole Harmonson

5. “You have to learn to say no without feeling guilty, setting boundaries is healthy. You need to learn to respect and take care of yourself.” – Unknown

6. “Learn the art of saying no. Don’t lie. Don’t make excuses, don’t over-explain yourself. Just simply decline.” – Unknown

7. “It is simple to say no when your priorities are in order.”- Unknown

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of priority quotes that will help you clarify what’s important to you in your life.

8. “It’s only by saying NO that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” – Steve Jobs

9. “Don’t say MAYBE if you want to say NO.” – Unknown

10. Saying yes to happiness means learning to say no to the things and people that stress you out.” – Thema Davis

11. “I refuse to please others at the expense of my emotional well-being. Even if it means saying “no” to people who are used to hearing “yes.”” – Unknown

12. “No is a complete sentence. It does not require justification or explanation.” – Unknown

13. He who trim himself to suit everyone else will soon whittle himself away.” – Unknown

14. “Saying NO means you know your limits.” – Unknown

15. “Say NO out of strength instead of YES out of weakness.” – Unknown

16. “Sometimes you have to forget what you feel, and remember what you deserve.” – Unknown

17. “You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage pleasantly, smilingly, and non-apologetically – to say “no” to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger yes burning inside.” – Stephen Covey

18. “Not every opportunity it meant to be my assignment.” – Lysa Terkeurst

19. “When you say YES to others, make sure you are not saying NO to yourself.” –Paulo Coelho

20. “Simplify: say no to the good so you can say yes to the best.” – Unknown

More quotes about saying no

21. “Silence isn’t always agreement. Sometimes people no longer argue because they no longer care.” – Joyce Rachelle

22. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” – Anna Taylor

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

24. “Real freedom is saying ‘no’ without giving a reason.” – Amit Kalantri

25. “Tone is the hardest part of saying no.” – Jonathan Price

26. “NO is a complete sentence. It does not require an explanation to follow. You can truly answer someone’s request with a simple No.” – Sharon E. Rainey

27. “When you say no to the wrong people, it opens up the space for the right people to come in.” – Joe Calloway

28. “When I claim more than what I can handle, I limit the opportunities for another person in my community.” – Jeff Shinabarger

29. “When others are not okay with your NO’s, they should not be allowed around for the YES’s either.” – Christine E. Szymanski

30. “You don’t have to stay committed to something just because you’re good at it.” – Brittany Burgunder

Short Say No Quotes To Help You Walk Away When You Should

31. “Focusing is about saying no.” — Steve Jobs
32. “Sometimes no is the kindest word.” — Vironika Tugaleva
33. “Saying no can be the ultimate self-care.” — Claudia Black
34. “You can say no if that is more truthful than a resentful yes.” — Judith Lasater
35. “You can be a good person with a kind heart and still say no.” — Lori Deschene
36. “It takes true courage and real humility to say no.” — Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
37. “Saying no to something is actually much more powerful than saying yes.” — Tom Hanks
38. “Freedom comes when you learn to let go, creation comes when you learn to say no.” – Madonna
39. “If you must say yes, say it with an open heart. If you must say no, say it without fear.” — Paulo Coelho
40. “Saying no does not always show a lack of generosity and that saying yes is not always a virtue.” – Paulo Coelho

Say No Quotes To Make You Learn When To Say No

41. “One key to successful relationships is learning to say no without guilt, so that you can say yes without resentment.” ― Bill Crawford
42. “Learn to say no in situations where saying no can be difficult, where it could mean getting fired. Say no anyway, because it could lead you to greater opportunities.” ― Samuel Dash
43. “Just saying yes because you can’t bear the short-term pain of saying no is not going to help you do the work.” ― Seth Godin
44. “As you get older, you become more comfortable in your skin and comfortable in saying no to things…I’ve also learned that saying no is just as valuable as saying yes.” ― Meghan Markle
45. “Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” ― Josh Billings
46. “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” ― Warren Buffett
47. “Until you learn how to confidently say no to so many things, you shall always say yes to so many things.” ― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
48. “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” ― W. Clement Stone
49. “Part of the skill of saying no is to shut up afterward and not babble on, offering material for an argument.” ― Judith Martin
50. “Serenity comes from the ability to say yes to existence. Courage comes from the ability to say no to the wrong choices made by others.” ― Ayn Rand

Say No Quotes to Embrace Self-Care and Prioritizing Your Time

51. “You don’t have to say yes to everything. Learning to say no is a valuable skill.” ― Rachel Hollis

52. Saying no to negativity can lead to greater happiness and peace.” ― Oprah Winfrey

53. “Saying no to things that don’t serve you opens up the space for what does.” ― Christine Kane

54. Saying no to the non-essential frees you to say yes to the truly important.” ― Tim Ferriss

55. “Saying no to one thing means you can say yes to something else that is truly important to you.” ― Greg McKeown

56. “Saying no is not just a rejection of the opportunity itself, it’s a declaration of your priorities and values.” ― Maria Popova

57. “Saying no is a form of self-care. It allows you to prioritize your time and energy.” ― Brené Brown

58. Saying no gives you back control over your life and your time.” ― Tim Cook

59. Learning to say no is a valuable tool in maintaining control over your own life.” ― Sheryl Sandberg

60. “Saying no is a form of self-respect. It allows you to prioritize your values and keep your commitments to yourself.” ― Arianna Huffington

What did you learn from these “say no” quotes?

Hopefully, these thoughts have inspired and empowered you enough to consider when you may want and need to say “no” to others yourself.

That saying so if not the end of the earth, but perhaps the end of being walked over, and of missing out on the opportunities that you want and should be saying yes too.

It is about not over-extending yourself, and leaving room in your life for opportunities where you want and should be saying “yes.”