---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing…"
description: "\"“Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to change—these are the gates to God's kingdom.”\" — Philip Yancey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png"
---

#  Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to change—these…

![“Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to change—these are the gates to God's kingdom.” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png)

> ““Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to change—these are the gates to God's kingdom.””

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Spiritual longing and repentance open the path to God's kingdom.

**In simple terms:** Repentance leads to spiritual growth.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humility and change.

Themes

faith repentance spiritual growth

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

religious philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal prayer
- confession
- spiritual retreats

Key Concepts

theology personal transformation redemption

Questions to Reflect On

- What does repentance mean to you?
- How can you cultivate a longing for change?

A Different Perspective

Some may view repentance as punitive rather than liberating.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Repentance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repentance/)

## Related quotes

> [Wherever good fortune enters, envy lays siege to the place and attacks it; and when it departs, sorrow and repentance remain behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/wherever-good-fortune-enters-envy-lays-siege-to-the-place-and-attacks/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [In these times - where social appearance is more important than spiritual substance - what has become our longing to change is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/in-these-times-where-social-appearance-is-more-important-than/)

[Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/)

> [Longing not so much to change things as to overturn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/longing-not-so-much-to-change-things-as-to-overturn-them/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Before We end our pilgrimage, 'tis fit that we Should leave corruption, and foul sin, behind us, But with wash'd feet and hands, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-massinger/before-we-end-our-pilgrimage-tis-fit-that-we-should-leave-corruption/)

[Philip Massinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-massinger/)

> [Flee laziness which while it produces an immediate delight, ends in the sorrow of repentance. And know that nature without exercise is a seed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-aretino/flee-laziness-which-while-it-produces-an-immediate-delight-ends-in/)

[Pietro Aretino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-aretino/)

> [There is sorrow in repentance but not necessarily repentance in sorrow. Just because you're sad doesn't mean you're changing for the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-sorrow-in-repentance-but-not-necessarily-repentance-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Repentance, not proper behavior or even holiness, is the doorway to grace. And the opposite of sin is grace, not virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/repentance-not-proper-behavior-or-even-holiness-is-the-doorway-to/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“If ours souls are thirsty, we can draw freely, livng water from the well of salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/if-ours-souls-are-thirsty-we-can-draw-freely-livng-water-from-the/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I truly believe that one of the things that has been lacking in America is a spirit of repentance about the injustices of slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-truly-believe-that-one-of-the-things-that-has-been-lacking-in/)

[David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/)

> [A man does not have to feel less than human to realize his sin; oppositely, he has to realize that he gets no special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/a-man-does-not-have-to-feel-less-than-human-to-realize-his-sin/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [“There is salvation for every soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-salvation-for-every-soul/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“With repentance comes a change of mind that effects a change of direction, since one’s orientation of life is directed in faith to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-l-bock/with-repentance-comes-a-change-of-mind-that-effects-a-change-of/)

Darrell L. Bock

> [“To repent is depart from evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/to-repent-is-depart-from-evil/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/)

[John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

## More by Philip Yancey

> [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

[Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

## More Freedom quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/)

[Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/)

[Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/)

> [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/)

[Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/)

[Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to change—these are the gates to God's kingdom.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Yancey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-to-change-these-are-the-gates/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Freedom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-to-change-these-are-the-gates/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/philip-yancey-840_freedom_dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-t_429309.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to change—these are the gates to God's kingdom.” — Philip Yancey",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Philip Yancey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Dependence, sorrow, repentance, a longing to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-to-change-these-are-the-gates/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/dependence-sorrow-repentance-a-longing-to-change-these-are-the-gates/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
