Literary notes about Repentance (AI summary)
In literature, repentance is portrayed as a pivotal moment of self-reflection and moral correction that often initiates a transformation in the individual. It appears as both a sincere admission of past misdeeds and a necessary step toward redemption, as seen when characters seek divine favor or personal absolution ([1], [2]). At times, authors emphasize that true repentance arises from an enlightened understanding of one’s errors rather than merely from an emotional change ([3], [4]). Moreover, repentance can serve as a dramatic pivot or even be wielded with ironic undertones, highlighting the tension between personal responsibility and the inevitability of fate ([5], [6], [7]). This layered depiction underscores its enduring role as a catalyst for both narrative development and philosophical inquiry.
- But afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - He was directed by God unto the repentance of the nation, and he took away the abominations of wickedness.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Repentance is a self-reproving, because we have neglected something useful.
— from The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius - Repentance never proceeds from a change of the will (which is impossible), but from a change of knowledge.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer - Then my eyes filled with tears; for I realized what I had done, and for the first time I felt repentance and sorrow.
— from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller - "You don't suppose I find it very amusing to be stuck up here by myself on the stool of repentance," she went on peevishly, like a spoiled child.
— from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust - He required a prompt repentance ; you obeyed again; you had to—there is never any escape from his commands.
— from What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain