"The best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong ."

This saying is similar to "Murphy's Law" which states "What can go wrong, will go wrong."

The idea is that, despite the most careful planning, circumstances often occur which are beyond our control.

This comes from the following poem entitled To a Mouse,  written by Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, in 1785:

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

or
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain instead of promised joy!
 
Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796)

 

Critical Thinking Main Page  

 ENGLISH EXPRESS           COMPACT COLLEGE     

BACK TO TUTORING MAIN PAGE            

Copyright: 2004 English 4 All, Inc.