"Sky Cake" is a legendary bit from Patton Oswalt's 2009 stand-up comedy special, "My Weakness Is Strong." In this iconic routine, Oswalt plays himself as he narratively constructs a hilarious history of religion, imagining it as a series of lies told to stop people from behaving badly. He specifically describes a man inventing the promise of "Sky Cake"—a delicious reward in the afterlife—to manipulate a stronger man into not stealing his food. The clip features Oswalt's signature high-energy delivery as he frantically describes the imaginary dessert and mocks those who argue over what kind of cake is in the sky. As a meme, this clip is the ultimate representation of the "false promise" or the "carrot on a stick" scenario. It is frequently used to represent corporate gaslighting, questionable rewards, or the feeling of being sold a dream that clearly doesn't exist. It resonates with anyone who has ever been told that hard work today will lead to a vague, glorious reward tomorrow. Example captions include: "Me explaining the 'exposure' I'll get from this free project," "When the recruiter talks about the unlimited PTO policy," and "Trying to convince my brain that the gym is worth it."