मौनं कालविलंबश्च प्रयाणं भूमिदर्शनं।
भ्रुकुट्यन्यमुखी वार्ता नकारः षट्विधः स्मृतः॥
maunaṁ kālavilaṁbaśca prayāṇaṁ bhūmidarśanaṁ|
bhrukuṭyanyamukhī vārtā nakāraḥ ṣaṭvidhaḥ smṛtaḥ||
A great quote found in many compilations..
It is rather embarrassing to say no to someone who comes for a favour.. We rarely say "No" on the face.
The quote describes six ways in which the refusal to help or give is expressed by people
1. Silence
2. Procrastination or biding for time
3.. Walking away, leaving the place under one pretext or other
4. Looking at the ground..
5. Furrowing of Eyebrows
6. Engaging in conversation without looking at the face of the one who has come..
We require a lot of white lies and excuses in life to survive without hurting others and without compromising our own interests either.. We keep quiet, make delay in responding, move away from the one who has come with a demand, avoid eye contact, constrict the brows, and talk without committing ourselves..
A person with some sense would understand the situation and go away.. But some persist.. even if we refuse..Salesmen do that too often.. Insurance agents do that.. Politicians during election campaigns do that..And the representatives of the Law like police, taxmen, etc would also persist, even if we dilly dally..
But then, the child who throws tantrums alone would get milk..
So many management experts would say, "Never accept a No for an answer.. "