- English translation
Whenever I say, 'Lord, I repent,' the Devil replies, 'Just this one last time.'
- Literal wording
Every time I say, 'O Lord, repentance,' the Devil says, 'Only this turn.'
- Meaning and lesson
The saying portrays a cycle of failed repentance. Each time the speaker resolves to turn back to God and abandon a bad habit, an inner tempter bargains: just this one turn, then repent. Here بس means 'only' and نوبة means a single occasion, not a fit or shift. The final exception renews itself endlessly.
The saying is applied to someone who repeatedly resolves to stop wrongdoing but keeps making one more exception. The Devil's promise of 'just this once' is renewed each time, so the person remains caught in the same conduct despite professed repentance.
- When it is used
Use this saying about someone who keeps postponing reform, especially when they excuse each relapse as a final exception. It can be said self-mockingly about one's own weak resolve, or critically about a person who persists in wrongdoing despite repeated promises to quit.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Whenever I say, 'Lord, I repent,' the Devil replies, 'Just this one last time.'