They are the antithesis of a grateful heart. Pride exalts the self. Pride tells me I deserve good things. Pride tells me I have earned good things. Pride tells me that I am the real judge of what is good for me.
Sexual pleasure is a good thing.
I deserve some sexual pleasure. With what I have been doing recently, I have earned it. Really, I am the one who should determine whether or not I should have this good thing. These rationalizations may be what can cause temptation to come on so strongly after we have experienced a significant success. In my life, if I have given a talk that went especially well or completed a project that came out quite successfully, a voice inside sometimes tells me that I deserve a reward.