The saying goes that you can attract more flies with honey then vinegar. This basically means more people like you if you’re nice. Still… why would you want to attract flies in the first place? Even if more people like you if you’re nice, are they actually your friends?
I’m nice to everybody, always smiling at them, helping them and giving polite comments about their work. It seems though that the people I’m nice to, I just know. The people I’m friends with are the people I can be mean to. I can argue with them, I can tell them how bad they are and I can tease them, knowing that they’ll still like me even if I show them my bad side. I can also hold a nice conversation with them, laugh with them and not feel awkward about myself around them, all of which are impossible if I’m just being polite.
Being nice is easy, especially when you don’t talk much. Being mean is hard, a part of you that you only show to those you can trust. You may attract more flies with honey, but the ones that matter are the ones that can go after your vinegar.