You can catch more flies with honey than a stick

These are certainly words to live by, I guess.   This is a mash up of “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” (it is easier to get what you want by flattery or being polite than by being demanding) and I think “carrot and stick (approach)”  (rewards and punishments that influence someone’s behavior).  The carrots and honey both represent something that is pleasing or rewarding to them, hence the confusion.   Also, not sure many people know or say “with vinegar” in the proverb “catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”, so the stick was the substitute in this case.  A big thanks to Joseph Newcomer for hearing this one and sending it in.