plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

French

French critic, journalist, and novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Etymology

An epigram by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal Les Guêpes (“The Wasps”). Literally, “the more it changes, the more it’s the same thing”. (Possibly first said by Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, 2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ply sa ʃɑ̃ʒ | ply s‿ɛ la mɛm ʃoz/

Proverb

plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

1. the more things change, the more they stay the same

Descendants

• English: plus ça change