“I have found by experience that man makes his plans to be often upset by God, but at the same time where the ultimate goal is the search of truth, no matter how a man’s plans are frustrated, the issue is never injurious and often better than anticipated.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Attributed to Gandhi's autobiography ('The Story of My Experiments with Truth'); trailing 'The' is a scraping artifact.
About this quote
Plans get overturned no matter how carefully you lay them, but if the deeper aim is something honest and true, the detours rarely wreck you — and often drop you somewhere better than the route you'd mapped. It's an argument for holding purpose firmly and plans loosely.
When to use it
- A founder whose first product flops pivots on what she learned and lands a stronger business than planned.
- A traveler stranded by a canceled flight stumbles into the trip's best day in a town he'd never have chosen.
- A student rejected from her top school thrives at the backup and later can't imagine the other path.