no plan survives contact with the enemy

Military plans always need to be changed once they are enacted in real-life military situations. The saying emphasizes the need for flexibility, as opposed to strict adherence to strategy. It is attributed to Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, a 19th-century Prussian field marshal. Men, be ready to make changes on the battlefield—we all know that no plan survives contact with the enemy.

See also: contact, enemy, no, plan, survive

See also:

survive
go nuclear
nuclear
nuclear option
doolally
Lally
pursue
harass
don't ask, don't tell
Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Harass, Don't Pursue

References in periodicals archive ?

Another says: "No plan survives contact with the enemy."

Irish Daily Mirror Comment: Saddam no pushover

"No plan survives contact with the enemy" is, after all, a truism.

When doves cry: wars without ends

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no new friends
No news is good news
no nonsense
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No nukes!
no object
no offence
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no oil painting
no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of...
no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of...
no one in his/her/their right mind would (do something)
no one is born a master
no one is indispensable
no one should be judge in his own cause
no one will be (any) the wiser
no one's fool
no one's perfect
no pain, no gain
no peace for the wicked
no penny, no paternoster
no person is free who is not master of himself
no picnic
no plan survives contact with the enemy
no point in
no pressure
no prizes for guessing (something)
no prizes for guessing what..., who..., etc.
no prob
no problem
no problem with that
no probs
no publicity is bad publicity
no question about it
no questions asked
no rain, no rainbow
no relation
no relief in sight (to something)
no respecter of persons
no rest for the weary (wicked)
No rest for the wicked
no rhyme or reason
no rights reserved
no room at the inn
no room to swing a cat
no rose without a thorn
no rose without prickles
no sale
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no penalty
No Penis
no penny
no penny no paternoster
No penny no paternoster.
no penny, no paternoster
No penny, no paternoster.
No Performance Determined
No Perfumes or Dyes
No Periodic Calibration
No Periodic Calibration Required
No Permanent Address
no person is free who is not master of himself
No Person Operation
No Persons Injured Road Traffic Accident
No Pets
No Pets, No Smoking
No Pic No Chat
no picnic
No Picture
No Picture No Talk
No Picture on Front
No Picture, No Truth
No Pistons
No Place
No Place for Heroes
No Place Like Home
No Place or Date
No Plan
No Plan Available Or Prepared
no plan survives contact with the enemy
No Plan To Fix
No play
No plays
No Plug, No Sale
No Point
No Point
no point crying over spilt milk
no point doing
no point in
no point in doing
No Point Necessary
No Point/No Fire
No Points, No Closing Costs
No Police Action
No Political Affiliation
No Polling with No Energy Constraints
No Population Growth
No Population Growth
No Population Growth
No Population Growth
No Poseo Información
No Post
No Potato Chips After Dinner
No Power Factor Correction
No Power Thermal Target
No Power Without Accountability
No Practical Vertical Application
No Prayer for the Dying
No Present Value
No Pressure
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