Who said "plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose"?

This quote is attributed to French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. Its literal English translation is, "The more it changes, the more it's the same thing," but it is more popularly translated as, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Karr, who lived from 1808 to 1890, was born in Paris and later became a teacher, critic, journalist and novelist. This quote reflects Karr's use of satirical tone in his writing. Karr wrote for several journals with regularity and is also credited with writing 13 novels. Later in life, he took an active interest in floriculture and fishing.