--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Repentant tears wash out the stain of…" description: "\"Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt.\" — Saint Augustine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png" --- # Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt. ![“Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt.” quote by Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png) > “Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt.” [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sincere repentance cleanses guilt, restoring inner purity. **In simple terms:** True remorse removes guilt. Key Takeaway Seek genuine repentance. Themes spirituality guilt redemption morality faith Mood solemn hopeful Type religious ethical When to use this quote - confession - spiritual counseling - personal reflection Key Concepts Christian theology psychology of guilt Questions to Reflect On - What actions accompany true repentance? - How does forgiveness relate to repentance? A Different Perspective Repentance alone may not repair all harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Repentant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repentant/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) ## Related quotes > [By the sympathy of your human hearts for sin ye shall scent out all the places — whether in church, bedchamber, street, field, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/by-the-sympathy-of-your-human-hearts-for-sin-ye-shall-scent-out-all/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [...But listen, there will be more joy in heaven over the tears of a repentant sinner than over the white robes of a hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/but-listen-there-will-be-more-joy-in-heaven-over-the-tears-of-a/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Tears of grief are unique. They contain chemicals that aren't found in the more mundane droplets of moisture that bathe the eyes, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-cassella/tears-of-grief-are-unique-they-contain-chemicals-that-aren-t-found-in-2/) [Carol Cassella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-cassella/) > [I fall to the floor as the tears start to flow, the tears will wash away but the feelings wont go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-fall-to-the-floor-as-the-tears-start-to-flow-the-tears-will-wash/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A million tears can wash my feelings for you!!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-million-tears-can-wash-my-feelings-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Not even a thousand tears can wash away the feelings I still have for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-trinh/not-even-a-thousand-tears-can-wash-away-the-feelings-i-still-have-for/) Jason Trinh > [“Your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else’s joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/your-tears-do-not-wash-away-your-sorrows-they-feed-someone-else-s-joy-2/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Where sin was hatched, let tears now wash the nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southwell/where-sin-was-hatched-let-tears-now-wash-the-nest/) [Robert Southwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southwell/) > [“Your tears do not wash away your sorrows. They feed someone else’s joy. And that is why you must learn to swallow your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/your-tears-do-not-wash-away-your-sorrows-they-feed-someone-else-s-joy/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [In the world of pain only tears can wash away the hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-world-of-pain-only-tears-can-wash-away-the-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Tears of grief are unique. They contain chemicals that aren't found in the more mundane droplets of moisture that bathe the eyes, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-cassella/tears-of-grief-are-unique-they-contain-chemicals-that-aren-t-found-in/) [Carol Cassella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-cassella/) > [God's Love & power can heal your pain & your tears can wash your soul like rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenzo-hart/god-s-love-power-can-heal-your-pain-your-tears-can-wash-your-soul/) [Lorenzo Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenzo-hart/) > [Where sin was hatch'd, let tears now wash the nest, Where life was lost, recover life with cries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southwell/where-sin-was-hatch-d-let-tears-now-wash-the-nest-where-life-was-lost/) [Robert Southwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southwell/) > [“A repentant spirit is part of belonging to God but it always happens after God makes the first move towards us. This is God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-seefeldt-amodea/a-repentant-spirit-is-part-of-belonging-to-god-but-it-always-happens/) [Brenda Seefeldt Amodea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-seefeldt-amodea/) ## More by Saint Augustine > [Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/lust-indulged-became-habit-and-habit-unresisted-became-necessity/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [The playthings of our elders are called business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-playthings-of-our-elders-are-called-business/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Do what you can and pray for what you cannot yet do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/do-what-you-can-and-pray-for-what-you-cannot-yet-do/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [For I did not know that the soul needs to be enlightened by light from outside itself, so that it can participate in truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/for-i-did-not-know-that-the-soul-needs-to-be-enlightened-by-light/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [My mother spoke of Christ to my father, by her feminine and childlike virtues, and, after having borne his violence without a murmur or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/my-mother-spoke-of-christ-to-my-father-by-her-feminine-and-childlike/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Wicked sons do not have the Holy Ghost in the same way as do beloved sons, and yet they do have Baptism. So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [To wisdom belongs the intellectual apprehension of things eternal; to knowledge, the rational apprehension of things temporal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/to-wisdom-belongs-the-intellectual-apprehension-of-things-eternal-to/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [It is this one Spirit who makes it possible for an infant to be regenerated . . . when that infant is brought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/it-is-this-one-spirit-who-makes-it-possible-for-an-infant-to-be/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [God has no need of your money, but the poor have. You give it to the poor, and God receives it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-has-no-need-of-your-money-but-the-poor-have-you-give-it-to-the/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Nothing conquers except truth and the victory of truth is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/nothing-conquers-except-truth-and-the-victory-of-truth-is-love/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [“O God, who is ever at work and ever at rest. May I be ever at work and ever at rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/o-god-who-is-ever-at-work-and-ever-at-rest-may-i-be-ever-at-work-and/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Our Lord reserved to Himself certain things which He would do in due time in a manner outside the course and order of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/our-lord-reserved-to-himself-certain-things-which-he-would-do-in-due/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/give-me-chastity-and-continence-but-not-yet/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Nothing, therefore, happens unless the Omnipotent wills it to happen. He either permits it to happen, or He brings it about Himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/nothing-therefore-happens-unless-the-omnipotent-wills-it-to-happen-he/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [The reward of patience Is patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-reward-of-patience-is-patience/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Explore all 672 Saint Augustine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) ## More Guilt quotes > [Never fight on the wrong side; you might win but the burden of guilt is more than a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/never-fight-on-the-wrong-side-you-might-win-but-the-burden-of-guilt/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [“Even in the miserable guilt we feel over our beastlike insensitivity, the glory of God shines. If God were not gloriously desirable, why would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/even-in-the-miserable-guilt-we-feel-over-our-beastlike-insensitivity/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Regrets are just a way for the foolish and the guilty to pass the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gensoumaden-saiyuki/regrets-are-just-a-way-for-the-foolish-and-the-guilty-to-pass-the-time/) Gensoumaden Saiyuki > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Money should not be in the hands of individuals; otherwise it will create this problem of being burdened with guilt. And money can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/money-should-not-be-in-the-hands-of-individuals-otherwise-it-will/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Food ... love ... mother ... career ... Live every day to the fullest. Partake of the four basic guilt groups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/food-love-mother-career-live-every-day-to-the-fullest-partake-of-the/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [Anger was better than tears, better than grief, better than guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anger-was-better-than-tears-better-than-grief-better-than-guilt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Phil and Hannah had decided that Christian guilt was better than bad math”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/phil-and-hannah-had-decided-that-christian-guilt-was-better-than-bad/) [rhoda janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [No amount of guilt can solve the past & No amount of anxiety can change the future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananymous/no-amount-of-guilt-can-solve-the-past-no-amount-of-anxiety-can-change/) [Ananymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananymous/) > [The essence of having fun is enjoying without guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-essence-of-having-fun-is-enjoying-without-guilt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) [Browse all 2,943 Guilt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saint Augustine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-guilt/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Guilt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-guilt/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/saint-augustine-328_guilt_repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-gu_2360145.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Repentant tears wash out the stain of guilt.” — Saint Augustine", "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": "Saint Augustine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Repentant tears wash out the stain...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-guilt/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/repentant-tears-wash-out-the-stain-of-guilt/#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 } } ] } ```