How to Make Anyone Say “Yes” - Even Your Worst Enemy: Chanakya Niti

We hear it and immediately picture someone wicked—twisting arms, faking smiles, whispering lies in candle-lit corners. But what if manipulation wasn’t evil? What if it was just… understanding people so well that you speak to what matters to them, not just what matters to you? That’s exactly what Chanakya taught. And if you think that’s outdated or irrelevant, look around. Every day, people are fighting silent wars—at work, at home, within relationships. You ask for help and get ignored. You try to explain your side, and they shut down. You apologize, and they say, “Too late.” The truth? People rarely respond to facts. They respond to emotion, timing, and what they stand to lose or gain. So, if you want to learn how to make someone say “yes”—even the ones who hold grudges or love to win—this isn’t about faking it. It’s about understanding them better than they understand themselves. And it starts here.


Chanakya once said, “Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it necessary, is it true, and is it kind?” Most of us skip straight to “truth” and forget the rest. But necessary and kind? That’s where people open up. When you want someone to agree with you, don’t attack their logic.
Speak to their emotion. Don’t say, “You’re wrong.” Say, “I understand why you see it that way… can I show you what I’ve seen too?” It’s not sugar-coating. It’s knowing that a door opens only when you knock gently. Speak in a way people can receive. That’s wisdom. That’s power.


One of the most brilliant tactics Chanakya used was never making others feel small—even when they were wrong, even when he had every reason to. Why? Because the moment someone feels humiliated, their pride becomes a wall too thick for logic to climb.
We often lose battles not because our point is weak, but because we made the other person feel weak while making it. So when you’re trying to convince someone—don’t try to win. Try to protect their pride. Let them exit the conversation with dignity, even if they’ve changed their mind. They’ll say yes because they feel respected, not defeated.


One of Chanakya’s core principles was this: Know the person in front of you like you know yourself. Not because you want to outwit them—but because people are puzzles. They don’t respond to what’s fair or logical. They respond to what touches something they care about. Ask yourself:

• What do they fear losing?
• What makes them feel powerful?
• What are they tired of hiding?
• What do they secretly crave to hear?

When you answer those questions, you stop trying to speak at them. You start speaking to them. That’s when they start to say yes.


We’re conditioned to fill every silence with words—to explain more, prove more, beg more. But Chanakya taught that silence is a weapon sharper than words. Say your piece. And then wait. Let the silence echo. Let it do what logic can’t: make people sit with your truth.
Most people say no because they’re overwhelmed. But if you give them the space to feel your clarity without pressure, they’ll move toward it—not away from it.


If your goal is to “get your way,” you’ve already lost. But if your goal is to bring someone to a point of clarity they couldn’t reach on their own, you win—and so do they. That’s what true persuasion is. That’s what Chanakya mastered. And that’s why he could guide empires without raising a sword.
Because he never spoke just to argue or impress. He spoke to awaken something. He spoke to align minds, not manipulate them.

Anyone can force a yes. Guilt can do it. Power can do it. Fear can do it. But the “yes” that lasts—the yes that builds trust, breaks grudges, and repairs what silence destroyed—comes only when we speak from wisdom, not ego. And sometimes, that means becoming so deeply aware of the other person’s needs, fears, and dignity… that we forget about “winning” altogether.
Because real power? Isn’t in getting someone to say yes to you. It’s in getting them to say yes to what’s right—even if they don’t know it yet.