Meaning & Analysis
To pay an extremely high price—whether in money, effort, or well-being—for an action or decision that ultimately leads only to regret.
Insights
The High Cost of Poor Judgment
The proverb serves as a powerful metaphor for the consequences of poor judgment. The 'price' paid for a foolish action far exceeds any temporary gain, leaving the individual with the lasting and worthless 'possession' of repentance.
Irreversible Consequences
It illustrates the concept of irreversible mistakes. Once repentance is 'bought' at a high cost, it cannot be 'sold' or undone, emphasizing that some decisions lock a person into a state of regret.
A Transaction of Failure
The proverb frames moral and practical errors in the language of commerce. This comparison makes the abstract pain of regret feel like a concrete, quantifiable loss, highlighting the severity of the initial misstep.
Economic Metaphor for Morality
The proverb's power lies in its economic metaphor, framing moral failure as a bad purchase. This resonated in the commercially vibrant early modern period and has classical roots, as shown by the Erasmus citation, lending it timeless intellectual weight.
Psychology of Regret
This proverb captures the intense psychological pain of 'buyer's remorse' applied to life choices. It highlights the feeling of being cheated by one's own poor judgment, transforming abstract regret into a tangible, regrettable transaction.
Warning Against Impulsivity
The proverb implicitly warns against the dangers of impulsive decisions. By framing regret as something one 'buys', it suggests that poor choices are active, not passive, and that their high cost could be avoided with caution and foresight.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The core of the proverb is the metaphor of 'buying' an emotion (repentance). This transforms the abstract concept of regret into a concrete, failed transaction, making the meaning more impactful.
Irony
There is a deep irony in the act of purchasing something universally undesirable. One pays a high price not for a reward, but for the punishment of regret itself.
Paradox
The phrase presents a paradox where the act of acquisition results in a net loss. Paying a 'dear' price to gain something negative (repentance) is an inherently self-defeating action.
Transcription
Quotations
Non emo tanti poenitere.
He answered that his lernynge was not to bye penaunce so dere.
Buying that with a pound, which he cannot sell againe for a penny, repentaunce.
She will buy repentance too deare.
You will (at last) buy repentance with too deare a price.
Buy not repentance too deare.
They buy repentance too deare.
Repentance I'd not buy At that high rate, ten thousand times to dye.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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