Henry R. Kravis
Financier; co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
And that’s what’s given us the ability to say no. It’s one of the most important things at the end of the day, being able to say no to an investment. Even if you’ve done a lot of work, work will never hurt you.
Recorded
Academy of Achievement interview, 12 February 1991
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Derek Sivers
Founder of CD Baby; author of Anything You Want
When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than “Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!” — then say no.
Recorded
Essay on sive.rs, Derek Sivers, 26 August 2009
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Warren Buffett
Chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, 1970–2025
Yeah and we get calls all the time, and there's so many calls, but the like I said, it takes me five seconds to say no. It takes, Greg's a little more polite than I am, but I just as soon get the calls just to see what people are doing. But they aren't offering anything that's at an attractive price, and what they want is a trade.
Recorded
Becky Quick, CNBC “Squawk Box”, recorded in Omaha; CNBC's own transcript of its own broadcast, 31 March 2026
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