explain a saying

ladylouise

the you want it to change the more it stays the same

LoLth

this from a book?

I would imagine it means that the more you wish for something to be different, the more you are aware that it hasnt changed. if you really dont care about say, the colour of toothpaste, then you wont notice that it never changes but, if you fervently wished that toothpaste would someday be luminescent orange then you'll notice every time that you squeeze the tube that its still plain old white.

994

It could be applied to a political situation, e.g. a great social revolution replaces a corrupt, exploitative elite... with another corrupt, exploitative elite

Jeanious

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

994 wrote: »

It could be applied to a political situation, e.g. a great social revolution replaces a corrupt, exploitative elite... with another corrupt, exploitative elite

Yeah, I always took it in that context as well.

GhostInTheRuins

Isn't it: "The more things change, the more they stay the same"?

And I think 994's example is right.

LoLth

if its "the more things change" then yes, the plolitical version is the more likely (and more sensible) explaination. wouldnt fit the OPs quote though which I havent heard before. (which is why I asked for a reference so we could get some context)