--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We believe that we can change the things…" description: "\"“We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/marcel-proust-114_change_we-believe-that-we-can-change-the-things_2035324.jpg" --- # We believe that we can change the things around us in… ![“We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our…” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/marcel-proust-114_change_we-believe-that-we-can-change-the-things_2035324.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/marcel-proust-114_change_we-believe-that-we-can-change-the-things_2035324.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/marcel-proust-114_change_we-believe-that-we-can-change-the-things_2035324.jpg) > ““We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change.”” [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage suggests that while we aim to change the world to fit our desires, often our desires adapt to reality, indicating a reciprocal relationship between aspiration and circumstance. **In simple terms:** Desires and reality influence each other over time. Key Takeaway Accept that goals may shift as circumstances change. Themes change desire adaptation philosophy Mood thoughtful philosophical Type reflective motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - career planning - relationship dynamics - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism psychology self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal ambition with external constraints? - When have your desires evolved unexpectedly? A Different Perspective It may underestimate agency in effecting change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Changing Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-things/) ## Related quotes > [“We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-believe-that-we-can-change-the-things-around-us-in-accordance-with-2/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Only mavericks live in accordance with their desires, and even they don’t often get away with it. They are usually labeled as troublemakers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/only-mavericks-live-in-accordance-with-their-desires-and-even-they/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“You must believe so strong and without a doubt that you can and will fulfill your dreams and gain your desires. You must in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-o-brien/you-must-believe-so-strong-and-without-a-doubt-that-you-can-and-will/) [Alan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-o-brien/) > [ Despite his persecutions, Mr. \[Upton\] Sinclair reveals himself in Money Writes! to be an enviable man. Always the thing he desires to believe is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/despite-his-persecutions-mr-upton-sinclair-reveals-himself-in-money/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [We believe we can change things according to our wishes because that's the only happy solution we can see. We don't think of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-believe-we-can-change-things-according-to-our-wishes-because-that/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Each one of us has a deep longing in our heart. We may yearn for a marriage partner, a child, or the restoration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-neal-matthews/each-one-of-us-has-a-deep-longing-in-our-heart-we-may-yearn-for-a/) [Dianne Neal Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-neal-matthews/) > [You can love more than one person in your life, but things will be different. There'll be a different dynamic. Needs and desires change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/you-can-love-more-than-one-person-in-your-life-but-things-will-be/) [Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/) > [“Our desires consume our time. But when we prioritize our time to help people in great need, our desires change drastically. When we choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/our-desires-consume-our-time-but-when-we-prioritize-our-time-to-help/) [Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/) > [I recognize thart even you, yourself, will change. Your ideals will change, your tastes will change, your desires will change. Your whole understandings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/i-recognize-thart-even-you-yourself-will-change-your-ideals-will/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [God desires to change us from the inside out. Renewing our minds, starving our self-destructive tendencies, and teaching us to form new habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/god-desires-to-change-us-from-the-inside-out-renewing-our-minds/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [“On occasion, it occurs to adults that they are allowed to do all the things that being a child prevented them from doing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/on-occasion-it-occurs-to-adults-that-they-are-allowed-to-do-all-the-2/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire, but gradually our desire changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-do-not-succeed-in-changing-things-according-to-our-desire-but-2/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire, but gradually our desire changes. The situation that we hoped to change because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-do-not-succeed-in-changing-things-according-to-our-desire-but/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [We're on some path that's set since we're born, but I still believe we can change some things. So I believe in my faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rm/we-re-on-some-path-that-s-set-since-we-re-born-but-i-still-believe-we/) RM > [Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in. It's change you can Xerox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/lifting-whole-passages-from-someone-else-s-speeches-is-not-change-you/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Marcel Proust > [“machinery' of life at Versailles; and was able, too, to persuade herself that her silence, a shade of good humour or of arrogance on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/machinery-of-life-at-versailles-and-was-able-too-to-persuade-herself/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [ “For her \[Françoise\], wealth was like a necessary condition without which virtue would lack both merit and charm. She made so little distinction between… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/for-her-fran-oise-wealth-was-like-a-necessary-condition-without-which/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Death is in truth an illness from which we recover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/death-is-in-truth-an-illness-from-which-we-recover/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The bonds that unite another person to our self exist only in our mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-bonds-that-unite-another-person-to-our-self-exist-only-in-our-mind/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [...a writer's works, like the water in an artesian well, mount to a height which is in proportion to the depth to which suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-writer-s-works-like-the-water-in-an-artesian-well-mount-to-a-height/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Then from those profound slumbers we awake in a dawn, not knowing who we are, being nobody, newly born, ready for anything, the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-from-those-profound-slumbers-we-awake-in-a-dawn-not-knowing-who/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Art extracted from the most familiar reality does indeed exist and its domain is perhaps the largest of any.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/art-extracted-from-the-most-familiar-reality-does-indeed-exist-and/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, aplant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-find-very-reasonable-the-celtic-belief-that-the-souls-of-our-dearly/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“When you heard anyone in the middle of a talk which was being deliberately kept off the Affair announce furtively some piece of political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-you-heard-anyone-in-the-middle-of-a-talk-which-was-being/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“We betroth ourselves by proxy, and then feel obliged to marry the intermediary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-betroth-ourselves-by-proxy-and-then-feel-obliged-to-marry-the/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“But the old lady on the contrary, far from justifying her daughter’s fears, felt every time someone of her own age “disappeared” that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/but-the-old-lady-on-the-contrary-far-from-justifying-her-daughter-s/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Often it is just lack of imagination that keeps a man from suffering very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/often-it-is-just-lack-of-imagination-that-keeps-a-man-from-suffering/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“When we are nice to others, we generally lose all claim to their respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-we-are-nice-to-others-we-generally-lose-all-claim-to-their/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Nobility is often no more than the inner aspect which our egotistical feelings assume when we have not yet named and classified them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/nobility-is-often-no-more-than-the-inner-aspect-which-our-egotistical/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) [Explore all 1,113 Marcel Proust quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## 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 > [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": "“We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. 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