[Ads-l] Quote Origin: Change the Way You Look at Things, and the Things You Look at Change

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The statement in the subject line has been attributed to two very
different people: U.S. self-help author Wayne Dyer and German
theoretical physicist Max Planck. I received a request to determine
the correct ascription.

I found no substantive evidence that Max Planck said or wrote the
remark. Planck died in 1947.

In 2004 Wayne Dyer published “The Power of Intention: Learning to
Co-Create Your World Your Way”. The tenth chapter began with the
following passage:

[Begin excerpt]
One of my secrets for feeling successful and attracting bountiful
abundance into my life has been an internal axiom that I use virtually
every day of my life. It goes like this: Change the way you look at
things, and the things you look at change. This has always worked for
me.

The truth of this little maxim is actually found in the field of
quantum physics, which, according to some, is a subject that’s not
only stranger than you think it is, it’s stranger than you can think.
[End excerpt]

Max Planck was an important quantum theorist, and Wayne Dyer linked
the saying to quantum theory. This connection may have facilitated the
later misattribution to Planck.

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/04/30/change-look/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole

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