Saying of the Desert Christians: Abba Elias 1

from: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Elias

Abba Elias, the minister, said, 'What can sin do where there is penitence? And of what use is love where there is pride?'

Some thoughts:

What on earth could I possibly write to unpack this Saying? Other than that, these are questions I think we all need to ask ourselves.