At best, people are open to scrutinizing themselves and considering their blind spots; at worst, they become defensive and angry. - Sheryl Sandberg
Contract law is essentially a defensive scorched-earth battleground where the constant question is, if my business partner was possessed by a brain-eating monster from beyond spacetime tomorrow, what is the worst thing they could do to me? - Charles Stross
There are days we all live with defensive thoughts in our mind. Without losing these thoughts we can’t totally be ourselves, and enjoy life's freedom of the heart. - Ron Baratono
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything. - Harry S Truman
Anxiety, in short, is a conscious feeling. It can arise in a bottom-up way, driven by activity in defensive circuits or from higher processes that conceptualize worry, either about an uncertain future or about existence itself. - Joseph E. Ledoux
You don't need to outdo the competition. It's expensive and defensive. Underdo your competition. We need more simplicity and clarity. - Jason Fried
Don't be so defensive and afraid to be proven wrong that you miss the opportunity to learn from your mistakes. - Karen E. Quinones Miller