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In season 3, episode 6 of TV show Bojack Horseman, there's this context:

Diane is a pop star's publicist, and just accidentally tweeted "I'm getting an abortion" to all the star's followers. The pop star flew in and fired her, but then when the tweet made her start trending, she rehired Diane and decided to get an abortion (even though she wasn't pregnant). That's where this dialogue starts:

The pop star: I gotta go on talk shows. If I can make one woman feel a little less alone, then it's all worth it, right?

Diane: Yeah... (hesitantly)

The pop star: And if I can make a million women buy my album, then it's definitely all worth it.

Diane: Um...

The agent: Diane, take the yes.

Diane: Okay

My question is what "take the yes" means here?

Does it just mean to confirm the pop star?

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  • 1
    What movie? Where is the dialog?
    – Michael Harvey
    Nov 24, 2021 at 22:46
  • It's not a movie.
    – Michael Harvey
    Nov 24, 2021 at 22:53
  • 1
    Google suggests it's BoJack Horseman - A Safe Space [S03E06].
    – Showsni
    Nov 25, 2021 at 0:37
  • It is Season 3 Episode 6, but the episode is called "Brrap Brrap Pew Pew"
    – gotube ♦
    Nov 25, 2021 at 2:42

2 Answers 2

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"Take the yes" is said to someone who has just gotten a favourable response, but is hesitant to take it, or is challenging it.

Here, Diana is hesitant to agree that the pop star getting an abortion is a good idea, but her agent tells her to "take the yes", meaning to get behind the abortion idea so she can keep her job.

Here's a clearer example:

There's a guy who has asked a girl out several times, and after rejecting him several times, this time she agrees. Rather than being happy about it, the guy questions her motives and insists she tell him what has made her change her mind. He doesn't agree to go out with her. When he tells his buddy about the situation, his friend says, "Dude, what's wrong with you? Take the yes before she changes her mind again."

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I don't know why this got a down vote. It's a reasonable question.

The idea is similar to "take the win." Or "accept the compliment." The idea that is being suggested is, the person should accept that something good has happened and stop trying to find a downside.

A much older version is "don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Meaning don't be looking at its teeth to see how old it is. But far fewer people live on farms these days, so horse related expressions are falling out of favor.

There is a tendency that some people have to question any good thing. Particularly if the good thing is a very good thing, or an unexpected good thing. It can arise because a person is a pessimist. Or because they have had many bad experiences in similar situations. Or they are trying to be modest about a thing. And it is a strong tendency in certain cultures to mistrust any good fortune because people expect it must be balanced quickly by bad fortune.

All of these expressions are meant to counter such an attitude.

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