the best-laid schemes of mice and men

the best-laid schemes of mice and men

proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the line, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley" (go astray), from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse," which itself is a play on the proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid schemes of mice and men and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid schemes of mice and men, I suppose."
See also: and, men, mice, of, scheme
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • best-laid plans go astray, the
  • the best-laid plans
  • the best-laid plans go astray
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
  • teach a man to fish
  • village
  • it takes a village
  • bad workers always blame their tools
  • a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
  • a little learning is a dangerous thing
References in periodicals archive
Many more of us have read our Robbie Burns and know full well that "the best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley".
Muddling through the next year; Views of the North
The best-laid schemes of mice and men, as Robert Burns reminded us, often go awry.
Low card count could land us a Riviera touch; KEVIN PULLEIN
Or does he, like the poet Burns, concede that the best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agly?
Economics is so confusing to me; VOICE OF THE NORTH