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.
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
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
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
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."