I Said No Quotes

#1. There is a story I always tell my students ... when I came for the 1st time to the US. I didn't speak English (Only Spanish) & I saw on every door the word "exit" which in Spanish means Success = Exito. And then I said :"No wonder Americans are winners ,every door they open leads to success

Pablo

#2. Environmental scientists in Canada said it was impossible for me to get to the Pole in 2004 ... I said 'no,' it's still OK, and I can still get there, and I did.

Ben Saunders

#3. Scuse me, 'scuse me," said a voice from beside him. He looked down this time at a dirty, half-scorched cat, who grinned at him. "Did that cat just speak?" asked the mayor. Maurice looked around. "Which one?" he said. "You! Did you just talk?" "Would you feel better if I said no?" said Maurice.

Terry Pratchett

#4. They tried to make me go to rehab, I said 'No, no, no,'

Amy Winehouse

#5. When the publisher here in America wanted to put the word "memoir" on the title page [of 'Winter Journal'] and on the cover, I said, "No, no, no, no, no, no." No genre whatsoever. It's an independent work not really connected to those things at all.

Paul Auster

#6. I'll meet you outside," I said. No way was I actually doing to shout 'I have to pee' at the top of my lungs.

Stella Lennon

#7. He was trying to get me to come inside
and away from the scene,
but I said, "No."
I said, "We have to stay here
and watch
because this is wrong.

Anna Deavere Smith

#8. The fans always ask me, 'Is Si that crazy in real life?' and I said, 'No, hey, he tones it down for television.'

Si Robertson

#9. Koekebakker, I feel so strange inside.' 'Well you certainly smell like jenever,' I said. 'No,' Japi said, ' it's not the jenever. I think my soul is too big.

Nescio

#10. David Bowie heard about the fire and called from Switzerland. He asked me to come and stay with him. I said, 'No, I'll be fine,' but it was a beautiful gesture from a lovely guy.

Molly Meldrum

#11. People have said, "You've turned your back on pediatrics." I said, "No. It took me until I was in my 60s to realize that politics was a part of pediatrics."

Benjamin Spock

#12. When I first met Benny Goodman he wouldn't talk about anything but clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds, etc. When I tried to change the subject, he said 'But that's what we have in common. We both play clarinet.' I said, 'No, Benny, that's where we're different. You play clarinet, I play music.'

Artie Shaw

#13. Ironically, when I hit adolescence, I was approached about modeling and acting all the time. And, for five years, I said, "No, I'm not interested. I want a simple life, I don't want to be in the spotlight."

Evangeline Lilly

#14. I was asked to be in Vogue but I said no. I didn't want to advertise make-up. I didn't want to be seen as a sex symbol.

Francesca Annis

#15. My girlfriend's weird. One day she asked me, 'If you could know how and when you were going to die, would you want to know?' I said, 'No.' She said, 'Okay, forget it.

Steven Wright

#16. I see my face in the mirror, and I said, 'No, my ambition is not to be an actor.'

Dino De Laurentiis

#17. I said no. You're not backing away from this. From me.

Becca Lee

#18. But the truth is, real love denies self to give those we love God's best. So I said no to Collin and yes to God, and I truly believe that's why our marriage is so wonderful today. Because the Bible is clear - God honors those who honor him.

Julie Lessman

#19. When I was in the U.S. for 'Swimming Pool,' people had asked me, 'So are you going to settle down in Hollywood?' And I said, 'No, I'm French! I am living in France. I am not going to be American.'

Ludivine Sagnier

#20. I was offered a free villa in Hollywood, but I said no thank you, I prefer to live in Italy.

Ennio Morricone

#21. A big girl once came up to me after a show and said "I think you're fatist." I said "No, no. I think you're fattest."

Jimmy Carr

#22. I had a dream about you; you were a zombie in a post-apocalyptic world. I was the only human left, you tried to bite me and I said no. We became good friends.

Rodney Jenkins

#23. I'm having my house repainted and we have a piano in the corner and the painter says, Is that y'all's piano? I said, No, that's our coffee table; it just has buck teeth. Here's Your Sign.

Jeff Foxworthy

#24. I said no, there would't be marvelous places to go to after I went to college and all. Open your ears. It'd be entirely different.

J.D. Salinger

#25. My girlfriend asked me if I only love her for her body. I said no, baby. Just parts of it.

Anthony Jeselnik

#26. But of course, there's no rest for the wicked, which I certainly am; as I said, no rest for the wicked.

Jeff Lindsay

#27. When I was in Africa, this voice came to me and said, Richard, what do you see? I said, I see all types of people. The voice said, But do you see any niggers? I said, No. It said, Do you know why? 'Cause there aren't any.

Richard Pryor

#28. And several galleries - two had asked me and I said no, because I didn't want to leave things on consignment.

Beatrice Wood

#29. The critic said, but don't you feel awkward about biting the hand that feeds you? I said no, I enjoy just gnawing it up to the shoulder.

Myles Horton

#30. Oh, God, Alaska, I love you. I love you,' and the Colonel whispered, 'I'm so sorry, Pudge. I know you did,' and I said, 'No. Not past tense.

John Green

#31. I was super skeptical about doing TV. I said no three times, part of which was confidence because I didn't really understand that world. I know how to climb mountains and do all that, but I wasn't a TV person.

Bear Grylls

#32. I've played Big Bird for over half my life, and now I'm in my 80s. It does feel older than 79. Someone said it's just a number, and I said, 'No, I genuinely feel older.'

Caroll Spinney

#33. The BBC came to me and they wanted to adapt the book [Three Musketeers] again, in the straightforward way, and I said no to that. I didn't want to do that. But what I did want to do was have a real look at the adventure genre because I thought it was ripe for reinvention.

Adrian Hodges

#34. I went into the gas station, said, Fill 'er up, Harry. The guy said, Regular? I said, No, put on a gorrila suit and dance like a fairy.

Emo Philips

#35. They offered me one cover about 10 years ago, and I said, no, I can't do it. I'm happy to cover up now.

Ursula Andress

#36. I said no strippers, I said, watching dumbfounded as Trenton danced around the room to Britney Spears.

Jamie McGuire

#37. I didn't want to do 'Casino Royale' when they told me to audition. I said no. Then they sent me the script, and I thought it was actually very interesting - and I had no other work at the time.

Eva Green

#38. My girlfriend wants an open relationship. I said no way. What kind of man would I be if I had to tell my friends I date you?

Anthony Jeselnik

#39. A fan once asked if he could have a piece of my hair for voodoo. I said no, so he hugged me and plucked out a couple of hairs and ran off.

Amy Lee

#40. With the groups who asked me to join them - like the Rolling Stones, Spirit, David Bowie, and Blood, Sweat & Tears - I said no right away because I was way too much into my own thing.

Shuggie Otis

#41. Sometimes I have wrinkles, in the morning. It depends on what kind of night that I had. I accept myself and the way that I am growing older. I have eye bags and some people have proposed to me to take them out but I said no.

Antonio Banderas

#42. Calum offered to paint my nails but I said no because he always uses the wrong shade of purple.

Luke Hemmings

#43. So are you doing anything for your anniversary? I mean other than sitting around your backyard with a bottle of wine moping over lost love."

Since those were pretty much my plans, I said,"No. I'm going to hire a masseur, like you suggested."
After that, there was no turning back.

Marshall Thornton

#44. When I was five years old, me and my cousin got into a fistfight because when "That's the Way (I Like It)" came on the radio, he said, "That's my song," and I said, "No, that's my song."

Boots Riley

#45. I was watching TV one day, and there was this open casting call for extras, and my brother says, 'You wanna try out for this movie?' and I said, 'No, I'm okay.' And then he said, 'Do you wanna be on a DVD?' And I said, 'I wanna be on a DVD!,' so I tried out.

CJ Adams

#46. I was raped: I said no and he wouldn't stop. I also had a scar on my back and blood coming out of my ass. To some that's just rough sex. Some would read that sentence and be turned on by that: the 51st Shade of Gay.

Kevin Sessums

#47. There are roles I have said no to, but for different reasons. And, I never talk about those because I feel it's disrespectful to say, 'Oh, I said no to this project or that other project.' I'd rather talk about the ones that I said yes to and the reasons why.

Penelope Cruz

#48. Someone asked me, 'Do you pray for the dead?' I said, 'No, I preach to them! I think every pew in every church is death row. Think about that! They're dead! They sing about God; they talk about God, but they're dead! They have no living relationship (with God).

Leonard Ravenhill

#49. So there I was lying in the gutter. A man stopped and asked '"What's the matter? Did you fall over?" So I said "No. I've a bar of toffee in my back pocket and I was just trying to break it."

Chic Murray

#50. I can't say yes (a gentleman never tells). But I'd lie if I said no.

Bogdan Vaida

#51. Michael Eisner contacted me once and asked me if he could change the name of Disneyland to 'Braffland.' I said no, because whenever I go to Disneyland there's always fat people everywhere wearing tight clothes. Disneyland, frankly, has a lot of improving to do before it gets my namesake.

Zach Braff

#52. I should say no to prove a point", He said, his eyebrows pulled together. "But I would hate myself later if I said no and you never asked me again" - Travis

Jamie McGuire

#53. We walked up the steps of a quaint stone church. "Get those friggin' leeches away from me!" a familiar voice yelled from a second story window ... "I said, no leeches!

Suzanne Selfors

#54. Jacques Doillon wanted me to be in his film, 'La Fille Prodigue,' and there I was, expecting, for some reason, this great bearded man, when a splendid looking red-Indian style man appeared at my door. I said no to his film because I knew that if I said yes, I would run off with him.

Jane Birkin

#55. Everybody wanted me to be rich and famous on my art. And I said no to all the commercials and all the seedy offers.

Philippe Petit

#56. When my son was murdered, people asked me how I felt about God and what had happened to my son. I said, 'No, you can't go there. You have to understand that there is a devil, and he works 24/7. Whoever murdered our son was with the devil.'

Bill Cosby

#57. They offered me that film before I did Frida and I said, no, I'm not capable of directing. Then after seeing Julie direct, I was inspired by it. She motivated me to do it, because we don't have role models as woman for directors.

Salma Hayek

#58. When I woke up this morning my girlfriend asked me, 'Did you sleep good?' I said 'No, I made a few mistakes.'

Steven Wright

#59. I missed you."
My heart stopped. "What?"
"You heard me."
"Please," I said. "No. Don't do this."
"I dreamed about you." Pause. "Every night."
Oh God, I was weak. Weak.

Nenia Campbell

#60. I straightened up, pulling just a little away from him. He looked at me questioningly. "Something wrong?" "Nice aftershave," I said. No need to confess that I'd had an almost irresistible urge to nibble his neck. It was too embarrassing. The

Laurell K. Hamilton

#61. I was once asked if I'd like to meet the president of a certain country. I said, "No, but I'd love to meet some sheepherders." The sheepherders, farmers and taxi drivers are often the most interesting people.

James A. Michener

#62. This morning my dad called me up and said, 'So, tonight's your last show, huh.' And I said, 'No, Dad, that's someone else.'

Jimmy Fallon

#63. I saw six men kicking and punching the mother-in-law. My neighbour said 'Are you going to help?' I said 'No, six should be enough.'

Les Dawson

#64. My daughter McKenna thought I sang with the Everly Brothers ... I said, 'no I was one of the Righteous Brothers' and she said 'didn't they invent the airplane?'

Bill Medley

#65. The first time I had got an offer to come to Hollywood, I turned it down. I said, 'No, I'm an actor of the stage.'

Kirk Douglas

#66. I could have been a superstar in America - I was certainly taken out there. But I said, 'No way, Jose, I'm not staying here in this madhouse.'

Charlotte Rampling

#67. My brother asked me once, 'Are you a misanthrope?' And I said, 'No, I just find people irritating.'

Craig Kilborn

#68. I said 'no' to the 'Born Survivor' producer three times because I've never aspired to be a TV man.

Bear Grylls

#69. One student was mixing my yoga up with other kinds, and I said, 'No, you cannot do that.' You cannot put calamari in the sushi and call it sushi.

Bikram Choudhury

#70. I would have said yes to abortion if only it was right. I mean, yeah it's right. Well no it's not right that's why I said no to it.

George W. Bush

#71. I read the books the day before I had met with (director) Catherine Hardwicke. The first I heard of it was my agent called and said, 'Do you want to be in a vampire movie?' and I said 'No.' I thought it was like a zombie, blood-and-guts, vampire movie.

Peter Facinelli

#72. Are we there yet?" I asked Joshua. "No," Joshua said. "Are we there yet?" I said. "No." "Are we there yet?" "No." "Are we there yet?" "Yes," Joshua said. "Stop the car.

John Scalzi

#73. A friend said to me, "I think the weather is trippy." I said, "No, man, it's not the weather that's trippy, perhaps it's the way we perceive it." And then I realized I just should have said, "Yeah."

Mitch Hedberg

#74. I felt the joy of knowing that in some small way I had fought back against someone who wanted to rule me against my will. I said no.

Doris Mortman

#75. So I went to buy a watch, and the man in the shop said "Analogue." I said "No, just a watch."

Tim Vine

#76. You just want me to hold you until you fall asleep?"
I didn't answer.
He shifted to look straight into my eyes. "I should say no to prove a point," he said, his eyebrows pulling together. "But I would hate myself later if I said no and you never asked me again.

Jamie McGuire

#77. You're all I care about," I said. "No. And me. The person I am when I'm with you, the way I see myself and know myself. That person who lives only when I'm with you.

Scott Spencer

#78. When they asked me, couldn't you give money out of the United Jewish Appeal funds for the rescue of Jews in Europe, I said, 'NO!' and I say again 'NO!' ... one should resist this wave which pushes the Zionist activities to secondary importance.

Yitzhak Gruenbaum

#79. Is death that which gives meaning to life? And I said, no, life is that which gives meaning to life.

Donald Barthelme

#80. I said 'No, I've aged, but grown up? No'.

Jake Lloyd

#81. When I was a teenager, I had a record company after me. They wanted me to be a pop act. They said they wanted me to be the next Sonia. I was 16 at the time. I said, 'No thank you.'

Imelda May

#82. I remember the first guy who offered me a joint in the bathroom. I said 'No, man, I've got enough problems.'

Steven Tyler

#83. I love you," I said. "No matter what she says about it, no matter if it's only with my insignificant human heart. Even when they burn my body, I'll love you.

Sarah J. Maas

#84. The first time I was asked whether women can "have it all" was at the Miss America pageant. I said no. I didn't mean that women shouldn't fully pursue their dreams, only that we need to be honest with ourselves.

Gretchen Carlson

#85. A lot of people don't know this, but when 'Dancing with the Stars' first asked me to be on the show, I said no, because I wanted to act and to be taken seriously.

Julianne Hough

#86. Zora Neale Hurston said fear is the greatest emotion and I said, 'No my dear sister.' Fear will make us move to save our own skins. Love also makes us save ourselves, but it will make us move to save others as well.

Sonia Sanchez

#87. I leaned toward him and whispered, "I'm drowning. Save me." But when I tried to grasp his shoulder my hand passed through him.
"I'm over here," he said.
I said, "No wonder I can't touch you. You're dead too." Or perhaps I didn't say it.

Sarah Micklem

#88. I flew north to Chiang Mai, near the Burmese border, and went for a walk round town and within thirty seconds a young man appeared in front of me. 'You wanna fuck my sister?' he asked. I said no. 'You wanna fuck me?' I said no, but

Richard Coles

#89. Serenades," he said, "are customarily performed under moonslight, or have fashions here changed?"
"I don't know," I said. "No one's serenaded me, and as for my serenading anyone else, even if I wanted to, which I don't, my singing voice sounds like a sick crow.

Sherwood Smith

#90. With Ciel and with Rex, I said 'no epidural.' I recovered, I was walking right after I had them, just did a lot of praying all through my pregnancy that they would be healthy and my deliveries would go without a problem. I was really blessed.

Niki Taylor

#91. I was hitchhiking the other day and a hearse stopped. I said, 'No thanks, I'm not going that far.

Steven Wright

#92. If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to February 14. A Latin lover should be born on Valentine's Day. I said no.

Cesar Romero

#93. My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said 'No, but I want a regular banana later, so ... yeah.'

Mitch Hedberg

#94. David," I said, "no matter what my intentions are, everything I write winds up turning into fiction, including my letters to friends.

Peter Straub

#95. The policeman recognized me, but I suppose that's only natural. Silk was going to kill him, but I said no."
"Why?" Beldin asked bluntly.
"We were in the middle of a busy street for one thing. Killing somebody's the sort of thing you ought to do in private, wouldn't you say?

David Eddings

#96. I said no thank you a dozen times, and fuck off once.

Hugh Laurie

#97. I had a dream about you. Your skin was sandpaper and your armpits were hollow, filled with dark chocolate and prunes. You offered me coffee and when I said no you handed me black coffee with a note that read "12 reasons not to drink coffee". I knew we would get along.

Melody Sohayegh

#98. I said no to having a beer. I once had a beer with my brother when I was twelve, and I just didn't like it. It's really that simple for me. [pp.37]

Stephen Chbosky

#99. The King once said to me, 'Harold, you stand above all other men.' I said, 'No, Sire. I want nothing more than to stand shoulder to shoulder with my men. I am nothing without them.

Elizabeth Alder

#100. When I was talking to a reporter, she said, "Oh, you mean to live for the moment." I said, "No, it isn't that. That has a hedonistic ring to it. I mean to live in the moment.

Jon Kabat-Zinn