My Mother’s Voice

My View

When I was young, my mother often used certain expressions or idioms to counsel me. Her advice is still relevant for children and adults today.

If I ever spoke to my parents or other people with a sassy attitude, I knew the next words from my mother would be this reminder: “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” I heard that phrase multiple times growing up and never really pondered the meaning. I just knew that my mother was telling me to use a more appropriate tone with her or others.

At some point, I talked to her about the expression. She explained that people are generally more eager to help you or cooperate with you when you are nice (sweet as honey) rather than surly (sour as vinegar). At first, I figured that meant I had to be polite — if I said please, then I would get the response I wanted. It took me a while to figure out that the expression went far beyond politeness.