Working Wisdom: quote about planning and execution

“The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.”

Carl von Clausewitz (born 1 June 1780, died 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general who served in the Rhine Campaigns (1793–1794), including the Siege of Mainz, and fought in the Napoleonic Wars from 1806 to 1815. Besides his extensive military career, he is most famous as a military theorist interested in the psychological and political aspects of war.

Von Clausewitz introduced systematic philosophical contemplation into Western military thinking, with powerful implications not only for historical and analytical writing but also for practical policy, military instruction and operational planning.

His most notable work, from which this quote is taken, was titled Vom Kriege (‘On War’), which was unfinished at the time of his death. Von Clausewitz’s work is still studied to this day, demonstrating its continued relevance for today’s strategic thinkers – not only in politics and the military, but also in business.