Greene, R. (1998). The 48 Laws of Power

2024-09-09. Law 36—Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them is the Best Revenge. pp. 300–308

Ackowledging a petty problem gives it existence and credibility.

Desire creates a paradoxical effect of eluding you the more you pursue it.

By paying your desires attention you give it power over you.

Unattainable desires should be looked at from a point of contempt—like sour grapes—to give it less power over your life and decision-making.

Chasing after unattainable desires more often than not hurts the pursuer more than just ignoring it and leaving it be. Often the best course of action is leaving it alone and choosing to ignore it.

You choose to let things bother you. You can easily choose to recognize your desire as trivial and unworthy of your attention and focus elsewhere.

Your desires will come to you by themselves should you choose to ignore them. Disdain is merely a helpful method. This is the solution to the problem of the unattainable desire.

Image: The Tiny Wound. Small but painful and irritating. Give it time and it will heal by itself.