[sciprojguy]

"I'm spread too thin" isn't an actual lie as much as it's a reframing. Working with difficult people can take a lot of mental energy, which ought to be considered part of the work effort. It's the polite way of saying "I don't have the bandwidth to do the work and manage my way around your issues, so best of luck finding someone who does have that bandwidth" the same way that "Thank you for your input" is a polite way (in the business world) of saying "That was the dumbest thing I have heard all day".

[varjag]

Well quoting outrageously isn't a lie either, it's just a way of saying "you're not going to pay me enough to deal with you".