The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same

This saying means that even when many things seem to change dramatically, many things stay the same. Let’s examine how this idea manifests in history, technology, culture, and everyday life.

Things Have Always Been Changing

Change is a constant throughout history.

If we think about human history, it looks like nothing but change. People have spread worldwide, built towns and cities, started civilizations, made new inventions, had wars, made peace, and done a million other things that altered how life works.

But some basic things haven’t changed. Humans have always needed food, water, shelter, safety, and connection with others. Desires, fears, hopes, and habits like our ancestors drive us. The specific circumstances keep shifting, but those core needs and motivations are stable.

New technologies arrive all the time.

Big new technologies have been constantly popping up in the last couple of hundred years. Cars, airplanes, computers, the internet, and smartphones have reshaped how we live, work, travel, and connect.

And yet, we’re still using technology to do the things humans have always wanted: move around, share information, be entertained, and save time and effort. The new gadgets are faster and flashier but tap into age-old desires.

Culture Evolves, But Human Nature Stays Put

Trends, fashions, and customs keep transforming.

The clothes we wear, the food we eat, the music we listen to, the way we talk—all these cultural things can look different from one decade to the next or between different groups of people. If you plucked someone out of the 1800s and dropped them into today, they’d probably be confused by how much the little details of life have transformed.

At the same time, they’d recognize many of the social dynamics. People still care about their status and reputation, fall in love, argue with each other, and form friendships and rivalries. The “content” of culture changes, but many underlying patterns are very stable.

Basic hopes and fears don’t change much.

Think about what people wanted 500 or 1000 years ago: a good life for themselves and their families, health, wealth, respect, and happiness. They tried to avoid suffering and loss, find meaning and purpose, and be remembered well.

Now, think about what people want today. It’s pretty much the same list. We have many more options for chasing those goals and more knowledge about how the world works. But at the bottom, humans are still humans. We have the same basic wiring, even if it’s dressed up in modern clothes.

“The More Things Change” in Our Daily Lives

Life moves fast these days

If you pay attention to the news, it can feel like everything is changing at light speed. There are new headlines every hour, new gadgets every week, and new crises and opportunities. Many of us are dealing with more information and stimulation than ever before.

But zoom out a little, and you might notice how much of your daily routine is stable and predictable. Sleeping, eating, working, socializing—the details might shift around, but the big blocks of activity are things humans have been doing forever. The waves on the surface are always churning, but the deep currents are steadier than we sometimes realize.

Old problems keep coming back in new forms.

Another way this saying gets proven right is how often we repeatedly deal with the same issues in slightly different packaging: fights between different groups of people, tension between security and freedom, struggles for power and resources, and disagreements about how society should work.

These challenges arise in every generation and every part of the world. The specific players and stakes might change, but some timeless dynamics keep cycling through repeatedly. Not that things don’t change—of course, they do—but they often change back into familiar shapes.