"How like herrings and onions our vices are in the morning after we have committed them"

This quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a representation on the nature of human vice. He is recommending that our vices, like herrings and also onions, are undesirable and stinky the morning after we have actually committed them. This is an allegory for the shame and also regret that often adheres to a wicked act. Coleridge is suggesting that our vices are not only undesirable to others, yet additionally to ourselves. He is suggesting that we should reconsider prior to devoting a vice, as it will certainly leave a poor taste in our mouths the following day. This quote is a tip that our activities have consequences, and that we should bear in mind our options. It is a reminder that our vices can be undesirable and also foul-smelling, and that we ought to make every effort to make much better choices in order to avoid the remorse that features them.