# best laid plans

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/best-laid-plans
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A proverbial expression used to signify the futility of making detailed plans when the ability to fully or even partially execute them is uncertain.

## Examples

- The best laid plans often go wrong.
- The best laid plans fail if you forget to check the opening hours.
- Even the best laid plans fall apart when the train is late.
- We wanted a beach picnic, but the best laid plans were ruined by a sudden thunderstorm.
- I spent months organizing my sister's surprise party, but the best laid plans failed when she caught a cold and stayed home.
- We intended to finish the renovation by Christmas, but the best laid plans changed once we discovered the leaking pipes.
- Despite our meticulous preparation for the product launch, the best laid plans were ultimately thwarted by an unforeseen global supply chain crisis.

## Origin

Shortened form of “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, translated from Scots “The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, / Gang aft agley,” from To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough by Robert Burns (text and reading of poem).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.