It is generally known, that he who expects much will be often disappointed; yet disappointment seldom cures us of expectation, or has any effect other than that of producing a moral sentence or peevish exclamation.

Summary

This quote points out that although it is common knowledge that having high expectations often leads to disappointment, experiencing disappointment does not typically eradicate our tendency to expect things. Instead, it often only results in us expressing our frustration through moral judgments or complaining. In other words, disappointment rarely teaches us to adjust our expectations and we continue to face the same cycle of expected outcomes and subsequent letdowns.