--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The truth is that the first changes are…" description: "\"The truth is that the first changes are so slow they pass almost unnoticed, and you go on seeing yourself as you always were, from the inside, but othe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg" --- # The truth is that the first changes are so slow they pass… ![“The truth is that the first changes are so slow they pass almost unnoticed, and you go on seeing yourself as you always were, from the inside, but others observe you from the outside.” quote by Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg) > “The truth is that the first changes are so slow they pass almost unnoticed, and you go on seeing yourself as you always were, from the inside, but others observe you from the outside.” [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change often occurs so gradually that we fail to notice it, leading us to think we are unchanged while others see our transformation. **In simple terms:** Slow change is hard to see. Key Takeaway Recognize subtle growth. Themes identity perception growth time self-awareness Mood reflective thoughtful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - therapy - coaching - leadership - relationships Key Concepts psychology philosophy social perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice subtle shifts in yourself? - What evidence do others see that you miss? A Different Perspective Change may be invisible to the self, causing denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Changes Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes-slow-3587058/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Pass Unnoticed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pass-unnoticed-250041/) [Seeing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-yourself/) [Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow/) [Slow Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-pass-5485316/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Unnoticed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnoticed/) [Unnoticed Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnoticed-seeing-5485315/) ## Related quotes > [“Of the good things they do many will pass unnoticed, or will even not be considered good at all; but they need not fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/of-the-good-things-they-do-many-will-pass-unnoticed-or-will-even-not/) [Teresa of Ávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [“No life should pass unnoticed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-cooney/no-life-should-pass-unnoticed/) [Eleanor Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-cooney/) > [“How cold and foreign this city seemed, that even death could pass unnoticed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-simmons/how-cold-and-foreign-this-city-seemed-that-even-death-could-pass/) [Kristen Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-simmons/) > [For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-lacroix/for-me-elegance-is-not-to-pass-unnoticed-but-to-get-to-the-very-soul/) [Christian Lacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-lacroix/) > [As a boy I believed I could make myself invisible. I'm not sure that I ever could, but I certainly had the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-stamp/as-a-boy-i-believed-i-could-make-myself-invisible-i-m-not-sure-that-i/) [Terence Stamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-stamp/) > [Some changes are so slow, you don't notice them, others are so fast, they don't notice you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/some-changes-are-so-slow-you-don-t-notice-them-others-are-so-fast/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [Changes which are slow and gradual can be hard to notice even if their ultimate impact is quite dramatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/changes-which-are-slow-and-gradual-can-be-hard-to-notice-even-if/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [“For the youth, the changes were too slow. 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JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“You have to start seeing yourself as a product of your lifestyle - because you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-edwardes/you-have-to-start-seeing-yourself-as-a-product-of-your-lifestyle/) [Dan Edwardes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-edwardes/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hostility comes from loneliness, from not seeing yourself like a drop falling into the ocean of humanity like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/hostility-comes-from-loneliness-from-not-seeing-yourself-like-a-drop/) [Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/) ## More by Gabriel Garcia Marquez > [“The Captain looked at Fermina Daza and saw on her eyelashes the first glimmer of wintry frost. 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I answered with the truth: Age isn't how old you are but how old you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/why-were-you-so-old-when-we-met-i-answered-with-the-truth-age-isn-t/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Between the covers of the books that no one had ever read again, in the old parchments damaged by dampness, a livid flower had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/between-the-covers-of-the-books-that-no-one-had-ever-read-again-in/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Fear had absorbed her completely and remained there, fixed, tenacious, almost corporeal, as if it were some invisible person who had made up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/fear-had-absorbed-her-completely-and-remained-there-fixed-tenacious/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Today I know I was right. The adolescents of my generation, greedy for life, forgot in body and soul about their hopes for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/today-i-know-i-was-right-the-adolescents-of-my-generation-greedy-for/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“...It was then, for the first time, that she understood above all her virtues what was in command was the vanity of a metaphysical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-was-then-for-the-first-time-that-she-understood-above-all-her/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) [Explore all 872 Gabriel Garcia Marquez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## 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. 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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": "The truth is that the first changes are so slow they pass almost unnoticed, and you go on seeing yourself as you always were, from the inside, but others observe you from the outside.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are-so-slow-they-pass-almost/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are-so-slow-they-pass-almost/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_change_the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are_2310415.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The truth is that the first changes are so slow they pass almost unnoticed, and you go on seeing yourself as…” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez", "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": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The truth is that the first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are-so-slow-they-pass-almost/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-truth-is-that-the-first-changes-are-so-slow-they-pass-almost/#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 } } ] } ```