the more things change, the more they stay the same en · X
Etymology
Calque of French plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Meanings
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Turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
On the other hand, the founders would certainly find a familiar state-centric and decentralized institutional approach to problem solving that is incapable of addressing the kinds of life-threatening global challenges increasingly and routinely confronting humanity. As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
2009, Thomas G. Weiss, What’s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix it, Polity, →ISBN, page 3:Superficial change is not movement, as is indicated by the saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
1952, “Freedom and Movement—Necessities for Community Well-Being”, in Community Service News, volume 10, number 3, page 65:There must be some continuity with the past, “or else the world is a madhouse.” Hence, the more things change, the more they stay the same; the more things stay the same, the more they change.
1994, Delwin Brown, Boundaries of Our Habitations: Tradition and Theological Construction, State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 65:
- A change of heart must accompany experience before lasting change occurs.
Synonyms
Translations (13)
cmn 万事变化越大 (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · fi mitä enemmän asiat muuttuvat, sitä enemmän ne pysyvät ennallaan (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · fr plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · de je mehr sich verändert, desto mehr bleibt sich gleich (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · cmn 萬變不離其宗 /万变不离其宗 (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · pl im bardziej się wszystko zmienia, tym bardziej jest tak samo (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · nl hoe meer alles verandert, hoe meer het hetzelfde blijft (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · es cuanto mientras más cambian las cosas, más permanecen iguales (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · pt quanto mais as coisas mudam, mais elas ficam iguais (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · cmn 萬事變化越大，越不會變化, 万事变化越大 /万事变化越大，越不会变化 (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · de je mehr sich alles ändert, desto mehr bleibt alles gleich (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · cmn 万事变化越大，越不会变化 (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life) · eo ĉio ŝanĝiĝas, sed restas neŝanĝita (change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life)