---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While we flatter ourselves that things…"
description: "\"While we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are changing under our very eyes from year to year, from day to day.\" — Charlotte Perkins ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png"
---

#  While we flatter ourselves that things remain the same…

![“While we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are changing under our very eyes from year to year, from day to day.” quote by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png)

> “While we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are changing under our very eyes from year to year, from day to day.”

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We often deny change, yet constant transformation occurs unnoticed in daily life.

**In simple terms:** Change happens even when we think nothing shifts.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and adapt to subtle shifts.

Themes

change perception time adaptation

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- business strategy
- policy making
- environmental monitoring

Key Concepts

social dynamics psychology history

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you notice gradual changes?
- What habits mask ongoing transformation?

A Different Perspective

Denial of change can blind us to necessary adjustments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing/) [Changing Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-eyes-1257001/) [Day to day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-to-day/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-year-1257002/) [Flatter Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flatter-things-1257003/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Remain Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remain-changing-1257000/) [Starting anew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-anew/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [“There are going to be a lot of eyes on this year's annual Blindfold Convention. People always want to watch what they can’t watch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/there-are-going-to-be-a-lot-of-eyes-on-this-year-s-annual-blindfold/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is convinced that our way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/even-those-who-fancy-themselves-the-most-progressive-will-fight/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“a new wave of immigrants would replace the Irish, fleeing a different but no less abject country, the process starting anew. The engine huffed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/a-new-wave-of-immigrants-would-replace-the-irish-fleeing-a-different/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [To travel like a bird, lightly to view \| Deserts where stone gods founder in the sand, \| Ocean embraced in a white sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-day-lewis/to-travel-like-a-bird-lightly-to-view-deserts-where-stone-gods/)

[Cecil Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-day-lewis/)

> [You may wonder, 'How can I leave it all behind if I am just coming back to it? How can I make a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-foster/you-may-wonder-how-can-i-leave-it-all-behind-if-i-am-just-coming-back/)

[Stephen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-foster/)

> [I like wherever I am. That's my big secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/i-like-wherever-i-am-that-s-my-big-secret/)

[Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/)

> [It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/it-s-not-so-much-that-we-re-afraid-of-change-or-so-in-love-with-the/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

> [Transformation is an instant-moment thing, available to us in any and every second. Life starts anew when you say it does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/transformation-is-an-instant-moment-thing-available-to-us-in-any-and/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [“Because people who live their lives this way can look forward to a single destiny, shared with others of this type - though such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/because-people-who-live-their-lives-this-way-can-look-forward-to-a/)

[Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/)

> [It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-is-impossible-for-a-man-to-learn-what-he-thinks-he-already-knows/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [I decided to start anew-to strip away what I had been taught, to accept as true my own thinking. This was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-decided-to-start-anew-to-strip-away-what-i-had-been-taught-to/)

[Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/)

> [I don't have to hate any person because I can always start anew, I can always reconcile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/i-don-t-have-to-hate-any-person-because-i-can-always-start-anew-i-can/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [Hard work, sacrifice and focus will never show up in tests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/hard-work-sacrifice-and-focus-will-never-show-up-in-tests/)

[Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/)

> [If we habitually focus on how to improve things that are already great, can you see how this spirit can transform ourselves, our organizations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/if-we-habitually-focus-on-how-to-improve-things-that-are-already/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/oh-would-that-my-mind-could-let-fall-its-dead-ideas-as-the-tree-does/)

[Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/)

## More by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

> [“They were inconveniently reasonable, these women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/they-were-inconveniently-reasonable-these-women/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Architecture might be more sportive and varied if every man built his own house, but it would not be the art and science that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/architecture-might-be-more-sportive-and-varied-if-every-man-built-his/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [To-day there is hardly a woman of intelligence in all America ... who is not definitely and actively concerned in some social interest, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/to-day-there-is-hardly-a-woman-of-intelligence-in-all-america-who-is/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [“Here she comes, running, out of prison and off the pedestal: chains off, crown off, halo off, just a live woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/here-she-comes-running-out-of-prison-and-off-the-pedestal-chains-off/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [“I never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, and we all know how much expression they have! I used to lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/i-never-saw-so-much-expression-in-an-inanimate-thing-before-and-we/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [In New York City, everyone is an exile, none more so than the Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/in-new-york-city-everyone-is-an-exile-none-more-so-than-the-americans/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The fact that women in the home have shut themselves away from the thought and life of the world has done much to retard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-fact-that-women-in-the-home-have-shut-themselves-away-from-the/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/eternity-is-not-something-that-begins-after-you-are-dead-it-is-going/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Now why should that man have fainted? But he did,and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/now-why-should-that-man-have-fainted-but-he-did-and-right-across-my/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The best proof of man's dissatisfaction with the home is found in his universal absence from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-best-proof-of-man-s-dissatisfaction-with-the-home-is-found-in-his/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The home is the centre and circumference, the start and the finish, of most of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-home-is-the-centre-and-circumference-the-start-and-the-finish-of/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Audiences are always better pleased with a smart retort, some joke or epigram, than with any amount of reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/audiences-are-always-better-pleased-with-a-smart-retort-some-joke-or/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [No matter what the belief, if it had modestly said, 'This is our best thought, go on, think farther!' then we could have smoothly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/no-matter-what-the-belief-if-it-had-modestly-said-this-is-our-best/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-than-it-needs-a-husband/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The home is a human institution. All human institutions are open to improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-home-is-a-human-institution-all-human-institutions-are-open-to/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

[Explore all 167 Charlotte Perkins Gilman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

[Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/)

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "While we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are changing under our very eyes from year to year, from day to day.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charlotte Perkins Gilman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-remain-the-same-they-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-remain-the-same-they-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_change_while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-r_902747.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“While we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are changing under our very eyes from year to…” — Charlotte Perkins Gilman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charlotte Perkins Gilman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "While we flatter ourselves that things...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-remain-the-same-they-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/while-we-flatter-ourselves-that-things-remain-the-same-they-are/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
