no plan survives contact with the enemy
- idiom
:
ningún plan sobrevive al contacto con el enemigo
- Throughout the campaign, they remembered that no plan survives contact with the enemy and adapted quickly.
Examples
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As they approached the battlefield, they realized that no plan survives contact with the enemy.
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Remember, no plan survives contact with the enemy!
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His detailed proposal changed completely, proving that no plan survives contact with the enemy.
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She cautioned her team with the reminder that no plan survives contact with the enemy.
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As they refined their strategy, they kept in mind that no plan survives contact with the enemy.
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The team had to revise their strategy quickly because no plan survives contact with the enemy.
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In every military operation, no plan survives contact with the enemy, so flexibility is crucial.
Synonyms
1
5.4
A careful plan that can still fail
When things can go wrong, they often do
How Practical
44
3.9
112
3.9
507
2.6
- Specialized
47
7.0
133
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
no + plan + survive + contact + with + the + enemy
The overall meaning — that plans will fail or need revision when they meet real opposition or reality — can be directly derived from the literal meanings of the constituents: a 'plan' that does not 'survive' 'contact with the enemy' (i.e., an encounter with opposition). Although 'survive' is metaphorically extended to a plan, this extension is predictable and similar metaphors exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the words should grasp the proverb's sense.
Etymology
No plan survives contact with the enemy is a saying from the army that creates a clear picture: a careful plan meets the enemy on the battlefield and falls apart once real fighting begins. So, it means any plan may 'fail' or need to 'change' when it meets real problems.