[Lawrence has just extinguished a match between his thumb and forefinger. William Potter surreptitiously attempts the same]~Quote from Lawrence of Arabia directed by David Lean.
William Potter: Ooh! It damn well 'urts!
T.E. Lawrence: Certainly it hurts.
Officer: What's the trick then?
T.E. Lawrence: The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.
This might seem like it only applies to the situation in the context of that scene, which is merely a funny response to an apparent trick. Dig a little deeper and you might come to the conclusion Lawrence is advocating apathy in these lines.
'Not minding' == 'not caring' == 'apathy'.
This assertion seems to be false after more thought. What I find this to be really about is being able to take risks, and being able to accomplish things despite pain being associated with them. Once you continue watching the film this theme of accomplishing things despite the challenge and pain is fairly common. Just a warning if you haven't seen Lawrence of Arabia; I am going to go into a little more detail.
The theme of accomplishing amazing feats is exemplified in Lawrence's stubborn resistance to those telling him he can not defeat the enemy, and take over the city 'Aqaba' from the land. He is told it's impossible and to not even try. Of course he proves them wrong, and accomplishes it through sheer will. Many other examples of Lawrence ignoring apparent physical or psychological pain to achieve his goals exist in this movie.
This is a perfect philosophy in my opinion. It's quite possible to get certain things done and ignore the side effects up to a point. Mainly physical tasks, or deep emotional things. It doesn't seem to be able to overcome dull or inane things however. At least I personally can't force myself to accomplish things that require a lot of boring steps. Adrenaline may have something to do with the whole idea.
~This post may be updated in the future.
