--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more things change, the more they…" description: "\"“The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm not sure who the first person was who said that. Probably Shakespeare. Or maybe Sting. But at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/laura-j-burns-71583_ability-to-change_the-more-things-change-the-more-they-sta_613372.jpg" --- # The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm… ![“The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm not sure who the first person was who said that. Probably Shakespeare. Or maybe Sting. But at the moment, it's the sentence that best explains my tragic flaw, my inability to change. I don't think I'm alone in this. The more I get to know…” quote by Laura J. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/laura-j-burns-71583_ability-to-change_the-more-things-change-the-more-they-sta_613372.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/laura-j-burns-71583_ability-to-change_the-more-things-change-the-more-they-sta_613372.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/laura-j-burns-71583_ability-to-change_the-more-things-change-the-more-they-sta_613372.jpg) > ““The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm not sure who the first person was who said that. Probably Shakespeare. Or maybe Sting. But at the moment, it's the sentence that best explains my tragic flaw, my inability to change. I don't think I'm alone in this. The more I get to know other people, the more I realize it's kind of everyone's flaw. Staying exactly the same for as long as possible, standing perfectly still... It feels safer somehow. And if you are suffering, at least the pain is familiar. Because if you took that leap of faith, went outside the box, did something unexpected... Who knows what other pain might be out there, waiting for you. Chances are it could be even worse. So you maintain the status quo. Choose the road already traveled and it doesn't seem that bad. Not as far as flaws go. You're not a drug addict. You're not killing anyone... Except maybe yourself a little. When we finally do change, I don't think it happens like an earthquake or an explosion, where all of a sudden we're like this different person. I think it's smaller than that. The kind of thing most people wouldn't even notice unless they looked at us really close. Which, thank God, they never do. But you notice it. Inside you that change feels like a world of difference. And you hope this is it. This is the person you get to be forever... that you'll never have to change again.”” Laura J. Burns ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often resist change, preferring familiar pain and stability; change is gradual and subtle, not dramatic, and can feel both hopeful and frightening. **In simple terms:** Change is slow, subtle, and often avoided. Key Takeaway Embrace small, steady change rather than fearing the unknown. Themes change comfort zone fear growth stability pain Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - career transitions - personal therapy - habit breaking - creative projects Key Concepts behavioral psychology habit formation existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What small change can you start today? - How does familiarity affect your choices? A Different Perspective Change can be uncomfortable and may cause temporary distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability to change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-to-change/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [First person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) [Leap of faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leap-of-faith/) [Outside the box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-the-box/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Things change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-change/) [Tragic flaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic-flaw/) ## Related quotes > [“Static people love to compensate for their inability to change themselves by always trying to change the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/static-people-love-to-compensate-for-their-inability-to-change/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Sometimes it hurt so much when you misses somebody that you can no longer breath¦no longer cry¦then the pain becomes familiar everyday that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cutymims/sometimes-it-hurt-so-much-when-you-misses-somebody-that-you-can-no/) Cutymims > [“I asked the seasons how change feels and they said it hurts like hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m/i-asked-the-seasons-how-change-feels-and-they-said-it-hurts-like-hell/) M > [If you have an opportunity to help others or incite change, it feels like a moral obligation to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chambers/if-you-have-an-opportunity-to-help-others-or-incite-change-it-feels/) [Elizabeth Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chambers/) > [“Just for the record darling, not all positive change feels positive in the beginning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-lourie/just-for-the-record-darling-not-all-positive-change-feels-positive-in/) S.C. Lourie > [By the end of 'Game Change,' one feels that the candidates' few happy moments are those when they 'lose it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/by-the-end-of-game-change-one-feels-that-the-candidates-few-happy/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [I like to work with different musicians and producers to change the feels of every release.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindi-ortega/i-like-to-work-with-different-musicians-and-producers-to-change-the/) [Lindi Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindi-ortega/) > [“It's crazy how being held by someone for just a few minutes can forever change how it feels not to be held by him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/it-s-crazy-how-being-held-by-someone-for-just-a-few-minutes-can/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [It is often when night looks darkest, it is often before the fever breaks that one senses the gathering momentum for change, when one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-is-often-when-night-looks-darkest-it-is-often-before-the-fever/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Dare to step outside the box and set the example for those who are afraid of change. It feels good being the odd ball,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dare-to-step-outside-the-box-and-set-the-example-for-those-who-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But the world moves on, even when you don't want it to, even when change feels like the end of everything. It never stops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/but-the-world-moves-on-even-when-you-don-t-want-it-to-even-when-2/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [But the world moves on, even when you don’t want it to, even when change feels like the end of everything. It never stops.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/but-the-world-moves-on-even-when-you-don-t-want-it-to-even-when/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“3. Here ‘the attraction of sexual intercourse between parents and child or grandchild as incest’, ‘Oedipus complex’ and ‘abnormal attachment of persons without power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecturer-m-k-bhutta/3-here-the-attraction-of-sexual-intercourse-between-parents-and-child/) Lecturer M k Bhutta > [“I was once asked if I had any ideas for a really scary reality TV show. I have one reality show that would really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-once-asked-if-i-had-any-ideas-for-a-really-scary-reality-tv/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## More by Laura J. Burns > [“Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut. In the distance he heard Shay screamin his name. What had he done? The answer slammed into his mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-j-burns/gabriel-squeezed-his-eyes-shut-in-the-distance-he-heard-shay-screamin/) Laura J. Burns > [“When we think about fairy tales, we think about happily ever afters, forgetting the darkness that stories beginning with "once upon a time" so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-j-burns/when-we-think-about-fairy-tales-we-think-about-happily-ever-afters/) Laura J. Burns > [“Gabriel Squeezed His Eyes Shut. In the distance He Heard shay Screaming His Nam. What Had he done.? The answer Slammed Into His Mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-j-burns/gabriel-squeezed-his-eyes-shut-in-the-distance-he-heard-shay/) Laura J. Burns Explore all 4 Laura J. Burns quotes ## More Ability to change quotes > [“Don't be afraid to go left when the world is going right. The French learned that the people have power to make change, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-r-lemieux/don-t-be-afraid-to-go-left-when-the-world-is-going-right-the-french/) [Martin R. Lemieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-r-lemieux/) > [You have the capability to change your life all with a simple shift in perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/you-have-the-capability-to-change-your-life-all-with-a-simple-shift/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [“Success is the ability to change some one's perception of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeeshan-raza/success-is-the-ability-to-change-some-one-s-perception-of-life/) Zeeshan Raza > [We may not have the ability to change all of the world's wrongs, but we can make a difference where we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/we-may-not-have-the-ability-to-change-all-of-the-world-s-wrongs-but/) [Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/) > [“Cinderella, until lately, has never been a passive dreamer waiting for rescue. The forerunners of the Ash-girl have all been hardy, active heroines who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-yolen/cinderella-until-lately-has-never-been-a-passive-dreamer-waiting-for/) [Jane Yolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-yolen/) > [It always blows me away when I see people freak out because I've changed my mind on something. I'm not an elected official, folks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-quesada/it-always-blows-me-away-when-i-see-people-freak-out-because-i-ve/) Joe Quesada > [Victoria's Secret should highlight real women that actually purchase their clothing. I would love for them to start featuring more real bodies and diverse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/victoria-s-secret-should-highlight-real-women-that-actually-purchase/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [“In a world of change and decay not even the man of faith can be completely happy. Instinctively he seeks the unchanging and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer-3/in-a-world-of-change-and-decay-not-even-the-man-of-faith-can-be/) A W Tozer > [The concept of making a movie in which the director dictates is kind of exotic - and absolutely not truthful. Directing means allowing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luca-guadagnino/the-concept-of-making-a-movie-in-which-the-director-dictates-is-kind/) [Luca Guadagnino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luca-guadagnino/) > [Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/our-population-and-our-use-of-the-finite-resources-of-planet-earth/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Wake up everyday with confidence, knowing you have the ability to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isiahnunn/wake-up-everyday-with-confidence-knowing-you-have-the-ability-to/) IsiahNunn > [“That is what you love a friend for: the ability to change your angle of vision, bring back your best self when you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/that-is-what-you-love-a-friend-for-the-ability-to-change-your-angle/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“God gives us the sun and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Everyday, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/god-gives-us-the-sun-and-also-one-moment-in-which-we-have-the-ability/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Fortunately women have the miraculous ability to change the meaning of their actions after the event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/fortunately-women-have-the-miraculous-ability-to-change-the-meaning/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Adaptability to change is itself a hallmark of successful education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/adaptability-to-change-is-itself-a-hallmark-of-successful-education/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) [Browse all 167 Ability to change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-to-change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The more things change, the more they stay the same. 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