Disappointment is always proportional to expectation. To say so may be an unnecessary platitude, but the truth is that it takes an incredibly great strength to put the brakes on big, imponderable dreams at moments when they seem plausible. If one does not do it, one risks the equally incredibly great disappointments that come with them, the risk of which perhaps justifies repeating this platitude until the brain is convinced that, often, the best thing to do is not to dream.