you catch more flies with honey than vinegar

A form of you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar — It is easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude rather than with rude demands and negativity.

Meanings

proverb
Cite this entry
APA

you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20catch%20more%20flies%20with%20honey%20than%20vinegar

MLA

“you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20catch%20more%20flies%20with%20honey%20than%20vinegar. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20catch%20more%20flies%20with%20honey%20than%20vinegar.

Source: you catch more flies with honey than vinegar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.