“Forbid us something, and that thing we desire”
— Geoffrey Chaucer
Simplified Meaning:
When someone tells us we can’t have or do something, it often makes us want it even more. Imagine there’s a cookie jar, and your parents tell you not to eat any cookies because they're for a party. Even if you weren’t thinking about cookies before, now you really want one. This happens because being told “no” makes the thing seem special or forbidden, sparking our curiosity and desire. Think about historical events like Prohibition in the 1920s in the United States when alcohol was banned. Instead of stopping people from drinking, it made them find illegal ways to get alcohol, and speakeasies (secret bars) became very popular. The same idea can apply to our lives: if you tell yourself you can’t have a treat, you might end up craving it even more. But if you allow yourself a little bit every now and then, the urge might not be as strong.
