get me a lollipop

That old definition of insanity says it's repeating the same action and expecting a different result.

But of course, if at first you don't succeed you're supposed to try, try again.

So I ask you: in the face of repeated disappointment, when does continuing to hope cross the line from perseverance to plain old suckerdom?

[For the sake of completeness and in a stab at coherence, this entry was imported from my previous, dormant blog.]