Of Mice And Men

A line of the poem "To A Mouse" is often quoted: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men" to mean that well-planned plans can go wrong.

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!

-- "To A Mouse" by Robert Burns


'Gang aft agley' is Scottish and means 'Often go wrong'.

More directly translated:

'Aft' in this context has no relation to the nautical meaning of 'aft', but is a Scottish form of 'oft'.


Yet another example of documentation failure. See also: BigDesignUpFront


But, where is the part that interests mice? Where is the part that says "Cheese is good."?


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