‘The greatest favors may be done so awkwardly and bunglingly as to offend; and disagreeable things may be done so agreeably as almost to oblige’ – Lord Chesterfield.
You can imagine being in a restaurant and when your food arrives it is slapped down on the table and the waiter vanishes instantly. On the flip side the waiter might bring the bill, something you would rather go without, and if it is brought to the table in a courteous manner, it could be delivered so well that you might be more than happy to pay its amount and add a generous tip. This is true for people as it is for horses. You see people giving a horse a carrot: the horse may come away from the experience even more nervous and unsure of the person than before, however, if a person is agreeable enough with the horse, he will feel very comfortable with the person and and maybe even seek them out in the future. This applies to pretty much every encounter you have with a horse. So much of what we do around a horse is physical, a bit like a hairdresser for people, there is a level of trust required. If your hairdresser is erratic, clumsy, inexperienced you will not go back to that hairdresser. So I like this quote because for me, it summarises good horsemanship.