Things don't change, but by and by our wishes change.

The aphorism suggests that the world’s objects and situations may remain largely the same, while our desires—what we hope for, fear, or pursue—evolve. Proust implies that perceived transformation is often a projection of shifting appetite: when we want something different, the same reality appears newly disappointing, newly attractive, or newly irrelevant. The phrase “by and by” emphasizes gradual, almost imperceptible alteration, aligning with Proust’s interest in how time works on the self through habit and memory. The quote also carries a quiet consolation: if suffering is tied to desire, then relief may come not from changing the world but from the slow reorientation of what we wish for.