Quote Origin: The Word ‘No’ Is a Complete Sentence
Shonda Rhimes? Carol Burnett? Jane Fonda? Anne Lamott? Megan LeBoutillier? Bil Keane? Earl Wilson? Si Cornell? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: A negative response to a request often causes dissatisfaction. Hence, the request is repeated many times. Some people do not wish to accept “No” for an answer. The following adage is favored by adamant respondents:
The word “No” is a complete sentence.
This statement has been attributed to prominent U.S. television producer Shonda Rhimes, well-known U.S. comedian Carol Burnett, and popular U.S. author Anne Lamott. Would you please explore this topic?
Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared in 1958 within the newspaper column of Si Cornell in “The Cincinnati Post” of Ohio. Boldface added to excerpt by QI:¹
SIGN ON BANK official’s desk: “In this office, the word NO is a complete sentence.”
The creator of this quip remains anonymous. Shonda Rhimes, Carol Burnett, Anne Lamott, and many others employed this saying after it was already in circulation.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
There are other single words which can function as sentences. For example, in 1949 a column in “The Charleston Gazette” of West Virginia printed a Q & A about the word “Stop”:²
Q. Is it possible for a sentence to consist of one word? E. Y.
A. The word “Stop” is a complete sentence. A sentence may consist of one word or any number of words. In the English language will be found many one-word sentences also one consisting of more than a thousand words.
In 1958 the statement about the word “No” appeared in a Cincinnati newspaper as noted previously. In 1959 the statement appeared in the “Reader’s Digest” magazine:³
On a bank official’s desk: “In this office, the word NO is a complete sentence.” — United Mine Workers Journal
In 1961 widely syndicated columnist Earl Wilson published a version of the quip:⁴
The harassed father of a teen-ager said at the Coachman that his hardest job is getting his son to realize that “No!” can be a complete sentence.
In 1972 Earl Wilson printed the quip again, but the age of the child was different:⁵
The harassed father of a small child says his hardest job is making the kid realize that “No” can be a complete sentence.
In 1980 Reader’s Digest printed the saying again while acknowledging Wilson:⁶
One of the hardest jobs for a parent is making a child realize that “No” can be a complete sentence — Earl Wilson
Also, in 1980 the statement appeared in a compilation titled “Mac’s Giant Book of Quips & Quotes” by E. C. McKenzie:⁷
A Kentucky father of a teen-age boy says his hardest job is getting his son to realize that “No” is a complete sentence.
In 1987 the comic strip “The Family Circus” by Bil Keane printed the saying within the caption of a panel which depicted a mother pointing at a child with disapproval:⁸
“It’s time you learned: ‘NO’ is a complete sentence.”
In 1995 Megan LeBoutillier used the expression in her book titled: “No” Is a Complete Sentence.⁹
In 2005 Anne Lamott published “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith” which included the following passage:¹⁰
I run interference for myself when I am working, like the wife of a great artist would — “No, I’m sorry, she can’t come. She’s working hard these days, and needs a lot of down time.” I live by the truth that “No” is a complete sentence. I rest as a spiritual act.
In 2015 Shonda Rhimes published “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person” which included the following passage:¹¹
“No is a complete sentence,” Sandie lectures me. “You say no and you say good-bye. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”
No is a complete sentence.
I’ve heard that cliché over and over.
So, I decide to treat saying no in the same way I treat saying thank you. Say no and then don’t say anything else.
In April 2023 actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus released a podcast with actress and activist Jane Fonda which included the following exchange:¹²
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Is there something you’d go back and tell yourself at twenty-one?
Jane Fonda: “No” is a complete sentence.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Yeah. No apology after it. Just “No”.
Jane Fonda: Just “No”.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: That’s a good one. I love that.
Jane Fonda: That came from, I’ll tell you who that came from, Annie LaMott who was doing a book signing in Atlanta.
In June 2023 Julia Louis-Dreyfus released a podcast with actress and comedian Carol Burnett which included the following exchange:¹³
Carol Burnett: In a way, I look back and think I was foolish in trying to please everybody.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Yes. Yeah.
Carol Burnett: I was a people pleaser.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: I see.
Carol Burnett: Quite a bit. I didn’t want to …
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Ruffle feathers.
Carol Burnett: … and finally it is nice to know that “No” can be a complete sentence.
In conclusion, the statement appeared in 1958 in the newspaper column of Si Cornell who said it was on a sign located on the desk of an anonymous bank official. Thus, the creator remains anonymous. Many others have subsequently repeated the remark including Earl Wilson, Anne Lamott, Shonda Rhimes, Jane Fonda, and Carol Burnett.
Image Notes: Sign depicting a choice between “Yes” and “No” from geralt at Pixabay.
Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Ben Yagoda whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Yagoda told QI about the podcasts with Jane Fonda and Carol Burnett during which the expression was employed. Yagoda also told QI about the 1959 citation in the “Reader’s Digest”.
[1] 1958 October 20, The Cincinnati Post, The Town’s Talking: Lawyer Tries Hypnotism by Si Cornell, Quote Page 11, Column 2, Cincinnati, Ohio. (GenealogyBank)
[2] 1949 February 2, The Charleston Gazette, Questions and Answers, Quote Page 11, Column 4, Charleston, West Virginia. (NewspaperArchive)
[3] 1959 September, Reader’s Digest, Volume 75, Number 449, Sign Language, Quote Page 64, The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York. (Verified with scans)
[4] 1961 February 28, Atlantic City Press, Broadway Beat by Earl Wilson, Quote Page 8, Column 1, Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com)
[5] 1972 March 29, The Times Reporter, I’d Rather Be Light by Earl Wilson, Quote Page A6, Column 2, Dover, Ohio. (Newspapers_com)
[6] 1980 November, Reader’s Digest, Volume 117, Number 703, Toward More Picturesque Speech, Quote Page 160, The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York. (Verified with hardcopy)
[7] 1980, Mac’s Giant Book of Quips & Quotes by E. C. McKenzie, Topic: Parents, Quote Page 380, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Verified with scans)
[8] 1987, We’re Home! With The Family Circus by Bil Keane, Unnumbered Page (circa 111), Fawcett Gold Medal, New York. (Verified with scans)
[9] Website: WorldCat, Catalog entry for the book: “No” Is a Complete Sentence by Megan LeBoutillier, Website description: Library Catalog. (Accessed worldcat.org on June 30, 2023) link
[10] 2005, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott, Chapter 13: Untitled, Quote Page 173 and 174, Riverhead Books, Penguin Group, New York. (Verified with scans)
[11] 2016 (2015 Copyright), Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes, Chapter 11: Yes to No, Yes to Difficult Conversations, Quote Page 222, Simon & Schuster, New York. (Verified with scans)
[12] Podcast Title: Wiser Than Me™ with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Podcast Episode Title: Julia Gets Wise with Jane Fonda, Publishing Date and Time: April 11, 2023 at 3:30 AM, Season 1, Episode 1, Time Location: 43 minutes of 53 minutes, Publisher: Lemonada Media. (Accessed at lemonadamedia.com on June 29, 2023) link
[13] Podcast Title: Wiser Than Me™ with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Podcast Episode Title: Julia Gets Wise with Carol Burnett, Publishing Date and Time: June 6, 2023 at 3:30 AM, Season 1, Episode 10, Time Location: 1 hour 3 minutes of 1 hour 14 minutes, Publisher: Lemonada Media. (Accessed at lemonadamedia.com on June 29, 2023) link
