"Really, Mr. Collins," cried Elizabeth with some warmth, "you puzzle me exceedingly. If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as to convince you of its being one."
– Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 19. Mr. Collins is not a man who is easily discouraged, indeed he is too stupid to get the message. Elizabeth is forced to repeat her refusal of his marriage proposal when he promises to come back again hoping to receive "a more favourable answer."