Just Say Non

The French word “non” is much, much, much better than the English word “no,” if your goal is to express an emphatic negative. We Americans use a long “o” sound, which results in an indefinite, sometimes wimpy, sometimes drawn-out end to the word: “noooo....”

But just saying the word “non” is cathartic. The short “o” sound and the clipped ending give it an expressiveness not unlike a car horn.

Speaking of “non,” here’s a great quote from pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman:
“[Britney Spears] is not so much a person as she is an idea, and the idea is this: You can want everything, so long as you get nothing.”