On the street, the best way to destroy someone's will to fight you is before the fight has begun. A great example of this is a story that Gary Gabelhouse-Sensei tells about the time he was at the dojo and a homeless drunk guy wandered in, looking for a fight. The man was raring to go, and Gary-Sensei could have easily subdued or beaten him. Instead, Gary killed him with kindness. He asked the man if he needed a ride somewhere, or something to eat. Showing compassion for him, instead of responding to his anger in kind, took all of the fight out of the man. That is how you destroy someone's will to fight you.
When my husband and I teach self-defense classes to kids, we tell them that the number one rule of self-defense is to be a nice person, then it's less likely someone will want to fight you. Of course, that isn't always the case, which is why we teach them practical techniques as well, but a little kindness can go a long way. By being tolerant and understanding of other people's point of view, many conflicts could be avoided. Courtesy, manners, respect...there's a reason these things are part of our training.
"You're not learning this thing to fight in the street, you're learning this thing to not fight in the street."- John Roseberry-Shihan