The best laid plans

Do you ever say “The best laid plans of mice and men”?

This is something I often say when things go awry. However, I never thought about where the phrase came from until it was mentioned in a book I was reading. That is when I learned the line was from a poem by Robert Burns called “To a Mouse.”

You can see the original poem here. It’s not easy to read. Here is the stanza with the line “The best laid schemes of mice and men.”

But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,

In proving foresight may be vain:

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men

          Gang aft agley,

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,

          For promis’d joy!

But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

I find it interesting that wherever I learned the phrase, it was “the best laid plans,” but the poem reads “the best laid schemes.” I wonder when it changed.

I hope you’ll read the entire translated poem. It is well done and quite insightful.