You Can Catch More Flies With Honey Than With Vinegar

The English proverb “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” suggests that kindness will get you further than cruelty. It can be applied to the way we treat each other, but it is most often a metaphor for our personal behavior within a social structure. We can use kindness to achieve our goals, but we should also be careful about what we do in order to achieve these goals.

This phrase originated in 1666, and has since become one of the most popular proverbs worldwide. It stated that flies are drawn to the sweet taste of honey, but repulsed by vinegar. The phrase was popularized by Ben Franklin, who later included it in his Poor Richard’s Almanack.