--- title: Why You Should Stop Saying 'Sure' At Work description: It doesn't express what you really mean canonical: https://time.com/4523111/work-vocabulary-success-advice/ author: The Muse article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-07T16:52:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:39:14.025Z og:title: The Word You Should Stop Saying At Work og:description: It doesn't express what you really mean og:url: https://time.com/4523111/work-vocabulary-success-advice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc59ae14af73130ae/69887b4d196cf40f0003a198/work-relationships-coffee-communication-betterment-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2500 og:image:height: 1406 og:image:alt: work-relationships-coffee-communication-betterment-success-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Word You Should Stop Saying At Work twitter:description: It doesn't express what you really mean twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc59ae14af73130ae/69887b4d196cf40f0003a198/work-relationships-coffee-communication-betterment-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Word You Should Stop Saying At Work > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=78741419-ad21-4e29-9bd5-6c470ae92a65&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) by [Kat Boogaard/The Muse](https://time.com/author/the-muse/) ## Kat Boogaard/The Muse Oct 7, 2016 4:52 PM UTC  Peechaya Burroughs for TIME by [Kat Boogaard/The Muse](https://time.com/author/the-muse/) ## Kat Boogaard/The Muse Oct 7, 2016 4:52 PM UTC  When’s the last time you responded to a question with the word “sure?” I’m sure you can think of a few instances in the past day—maybe even the past hour—when you let that little word fall out of your mouth. You’re not alone. We all likely use it far more often than we should. It’s our half-hearted, noncommittal way of [saying yes](https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-lessons-youll-learn-by-saying-yes-to-new-and-scary-things). It’s agreeable and somewhat positive, while simultaneously demonstrating that you’re not completely _thrilled_ with the opportunity in front of you. The subtext is almost always,“No, I’m not particularly interested. But if you’d like me to, I can do it.” **_The Muse:_**[_4 Completely Inoffensive Ways to Say ‘No’ At Work Because Yes Isn’t Always an Option_](https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-completely-inoffensive-ways-to-say-no-at-work-because-yes-isnt-always-an-option) Recently, I read [this article](https://medium.com/@Andela/abandon-sure-find-your-100-yes-a025943929a4#.qz4ab6dbw) by Andela’s VP of Learning Adam Lupu, about how he’s decided to completely cut the word out of his vocabulary. “I even see many people saying ‘sure’ to some of the biggest decisions in life,” he says in the article, “New job? ‘Sure.’ Get married? ‘Sure.’ Have kids? ‘Sure.’ Is this what any of us are here to do? Simply say ‘sure’?” Lupu has a worthy point—and one that inspired me to do some thinking: Why are we all so quick to lean on this indifferent word? What would happen if we would all drop “sure” in favor of more cut and dried answers? Think about it: The answers could be an enthusiastic “100% yes!” or a simple “No.” Or, in professional instances, in which we’re asked to take on a task and can’t just say “No” and walk away, the truth: “I can tackle that project, but I’m not particularly excited about it and think someone else may execute it better.” (Obviously, there are situations in which you have to say yes, regardless of your excitement levels and I trust you to know the difference.) **_The Muse:_**[_How to Nicely Say No to an Unwanted Project_](https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-nicely-say-no-to-an-unwanted-project) Wouldn’t we all be happier—not to mention [more decisive](https://www.themuse.com/advice/yes-no-maybe-so-defeating-decision-fatigue) if we said what we really meant, if we could all be on the same page and not guessing what the other person really thinks? Now, let’s switch gears a little bit. Think about the last time you said, “Absolutely, definitely, 100% yes!” to something. Chances are, a smile just instantly spread across your face. Why? Well, you’re likely reflecting on an opportunity that you were so certain about, so passionate about, and so excited about that you knew a simple “sure” just wouldn’t do it justice. That was a great feeling, wasn’t it? So, then why are we all so willing to settle for much less than that on a daily basis? It’s for this very reason that I’m following in Lupu’s footsteps and attempting to completely eliminate the word from my vocabulary. If I wouldn’t respond to a request or opportunity with a resounding, “100% yes!” then I’m going to make a concerted effort to [turn it down](https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-youre-not-saying-no-enough-and-how-to-fix-it)—rather than replying with an apprehensive and lukewarm, “Well, I guess, sure.” **_The Muse:_**[_The One Word That Can Save Your Sanity When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed_](https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-one-word-that-can-save-your-sanity-when-youre-feeling-overwhelmed) I know it’ll be challenging—particularly since I’m self-aware enough to know that I fall back on that noncommittal four-letter word far more than I should. But, while I’m a little intimidated by the challenge, I’m also excited to see how it impacts my decisions. I can only imagine that it’ll make me much more intentional about how I spend my time and energy. As for you? Well, I don’t want to be in this alone. So, I recommend that you hop on board, take a page from Lupu’s book, and find your “100% yes” with me—and then refuse to settle for anything less. Are you cutting out the word “sure”? Let me know on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kat%5Fboogaard) how it all plays out for you! _This post is in partnership with_ [_The Muse_](http://www.themuse.com/)_. The_ [_article_](https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-you-should-stop-saying-sure-when-you-actually-mean-no) _above was originally published on The Muse._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4523111/work-vocabulary-success-advice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4523111/work-vocabulary-success-advice/"},"headline":"The Word You Should Stop Saying At Work","datePublished":"2016-10-07T16:52:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:39:14.025Z","description":"It doesn't express what you really mean","url":"https://time.com/4523111/work-vocabulary-success-advice/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc59ae14af73130ae/69887b4d196cf40f0003a198/work-relationships-coffee-communication-betterment-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kat Boogaard/The Muse"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc59ae14af73130ae/69887b4d196cf40f0003a198/work-relationships-coffee-communication-betterment-success.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"work-relationships-coffee-communication-betterment-success-motto-stock","caption":"work relationships coffee communication betterment success motto stock","creditText":"Peechaya Burroughs for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4523111/work-vocabulary-success-advice/","name":"The Word You Should Stop Saying At Work"}}]}] ```