ProverbMorality
English origin
English originThe thief's sorry because he is caught, not because he is the thief.
Meaning: Criminals regret consequences, not their crimes; remorse born from punishment lacks genuine moral transformation.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
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