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Repentance (n.) specifically ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠expresses that evil essentially belongs to me and at the same time expresses that it does not essentially belong to me.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the only expression in language to describe the love with which one loves God.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the only new ideality left to the man who has broken with the idea.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠recollection of a fault — which is why the police, by making the criminal recite his story by rote, help him never to repent.

Repentance (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠can employ a whole life for a recantation cannot go forward — a perfectly simple protest against marriage, without visions or dreams.

Repentance (n.) used ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to be recognized by the fact that it acts.

Repentance (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠alleges pride as the impediment to undoing a wrong — "I repent but cannot, my pride will not let me" — is lèse-majesté against God.

Repentance (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is high-strung sees terrors in the beloved that do not exist, as a lover by an ideality before actuality sees beauties that are not there.

Repentance (n.) seized ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠David the night after he sent orders to kill Uriah, and he sent a swift messenger to stop it — five days of waiting are not even a clause in the System's paragraph, but might turn a man's hair gray.

Repentance (n.) cannot ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠come to a head when it is undetermined what one is to repent of, and cannot rest when one feels one ought constantly to be doing something to undo what was done.

Repentance (n.) must ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for healing be let go at the right moment — which looks deceptively like forgetfulness; yet to forget one's guilt is a new sin, and holding the guilt fast is repentance's proud passion.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a person's highest inward act — not a reaching out but a turning in, not doing but letting something happen to you; Fichte's man of action has no time for it.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the most dialectic thing, so no wonder it is feared: give it a finger and it takes the whole hand; like Jehovah visiting the fathers' iniquities on the children, it goes constantly further back seeking objects.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠sympathetically dialectic: the reformed gambler who sees dragged from the Seine another gambler, a better man who fought his vice harder, cannot simply go home thanking God for his own salvation — he must pass judgment, and either judgment sinks him.

Repentance (n.) needs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a preacher who can preach it with the same power with which Don Juan preached the glad gospel of pleasure — and where is he to be found?

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no mediation: it does not look with pleasure on what is to be mediated but consumes it with wrath — an expression of reconciliation that is also absolutely irreconcilable.

Repentance (n.) leads ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a man back into himself, then into his family, then into the race, until at last he finds himself in God.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the only word in the language for the love by which I love God.

Repentance (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠love for one's own self, received absolutely out of the hand of the eternal God — the self is outside a man and has to be acquired.

Repentance (n.) expresses ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠that evil belongs to me necessarily and at the same time that it does not necessarily belong to me.