“Failing to plan is planning to fail”

—  Alan Lakein

Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Failing to plan is planning to fail" by Alan Lakein?
Alan Lakein photo
Alan Lakein 1
American writer 1973

Related quotes

Harvey Mackay photo

“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”

Harvey Mackay (1932) American businessman and journalist
Randy Pausch photo

“Failing to plan is planning to fail. Plan Each Day, Each Week, Each Semester. You can always change your plan, but only once you have one!”

Randy Pausch (1960–2008) American professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design

Time Management (2007)

Condoleezza Rice photo

“It's bad policy to speculate on what you'll do if a plan fails, when you're trying to make a plan work.”

Condoleezza Rice (1954) American Republican politician; U.S. Secretary of State; political scientist

Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100437_3.html, January 11, 2007.

Ben Aaronovitch photo

“It was a good plan, and like all plans since the dawn of time, this would fail to survive contact with real life.”

Source: Whispers Under Ground (2012), Chapter 25, “Ladbroke Grove” (p. 262)

Sheyene Gerardi photo

“Because planned economies have historically failed, new modeling techniques are needed.”

Sheyene Gerardi Venezuelan actor and model

[Sheyene Institute Founder`s Letter, http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=38c46884-5abc-491a-89aa-c9bb0b71195c]

Mr. T photo
Nicholas Sparks photo
Donald J. Trump photo

“As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!”

Donald J. Trump (1946) 45th President of the United States of America

Tweet by @realDonaldTrump https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/887280380423938048 (18 July 2017)
2010s, 2017, July

Orson Scott Card photo
Constantine P. Cavafy photo

“Don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now,
work gone wrong, your plans
all proving deceptive — don’t mourn them uselessly.”

Constantine P. Cavafy (1863–1933) Greek poet

The God Abandons Antony http://www.cavafy.com/poems/content.asp?id=12&cat=1 (1911).
Variant translations:
Like one who’s long prepared, like someone brave,
as befits a man who’s been blessed with a city like this,
go without faltering toward the window
and listen with deep emotion, but not
with the entreaties and the whining of a coward,
to the sounds — a final entertainment —
to the exquisite instruments of that initiate crew,
and bid farewell to her, to Alexandria, whom you are losing.
As translated by Daniel Mendelsohn (2009).
Don't mourn your luck that's failing now,
work gone wrong, your plans
all proving deceptive — don't mourn them uselessly:
as one long prepared, and full of courage,
say goodbye to her, to Alexandria who is leaving.
Unknown translator http://cavafis.compupress.gr/kave_20.htm
Collected Poems (1992)
Context: Don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now,
work gone wrong, your plans
all proving deceptive — don’t mourn them uselessly.
As one long prepared, and graced with courage,
say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say
it was a dream, your ears deceived you:
don’t degrade yourself with empty hopes like these.

Related topics