"Announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh."
— Al Swearengen, Deadwood
Roy: OK, uh, are you going to let me know what it is?
Elan: Of course not, Roy! Everyone knows that plans only work if you keep them a secret first!
Roy: What? That's not true at all!
Elan: Sure it is! If you talk about them and then they happen exactly that way, there's no tension!
Elan: Of course not, Roy! Everyone knows that plans only work if you keep them a secret first!
Roy: What? That's not true at all!
Elan: Sure it is! If you talk about them and then they happen exactly that way, there's no tension!
John Connor: You know what you have to do!
Mike Nelson: Well of course, but tell me again so that we can have a laugh at how obvious it is.
Mike Nelson: Well of course, but tell me again so that we can have a laugh at how obvious it is.
"And now that I've described the plan in full, nothing can possibly go wrong."
— Red Mage, 8-Bit Theater
"Sometimes a plan is just a list of things that don't happen..."
— Tiger, Spinnerette
"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"
— Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
"It’s too primitive to be a plan," she said, "and if my assumptions about why the Pax wants me are wrong... well, it won't work." The mischievous smile took on a wry twist. "It probably wouldn't work anyway."
I glanced at my wrist. "We have forty-five minutes until we spin down and find out if someone's waiting," I said. "Do you want to share your plan that wouldn’t work?"
The girl began speaking. She did not talk long. When she was finished, the android and I looked at each other. "You're right,"I said to her, "it’s not much of a plan and it wouldn't work."
Aenea's smile did not falter. She took my hand and turned my wrist so that my chronometer was face-up. "We have forty-one minutes," she said. "Come up with a better one."
I glanced at my wrist. "We have forty-five minutes until we spin down and find out if someone's waiting," I said. "Do you want to share your plan that wouldn’t work?"
The girl began speaking. She did not talk long. When she was finished, the android and I looked at each other. "You're right,"I said to her, "it’s not much of a plan and it wouldn't work."
Aenea's smile did not falter. She took my hand and turned my wrist so that my chronometer was face-up. "We have forty-one minutes," she said. "Come up with a better one."
— Endymion, Hyperion Cantos
"These are the ways military strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken of in advance."
— Sun Tzu, The Art of War
"Um..." Hayate began.
"Shhhhhhh!" Amy said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "The Admiral is scheming."
"But, I-"
"Shhhhhhhhh! If she explains the plan, it takes all the magic out of it," Amy said cheerfully. "Trust me, I've worked out the process by this point."
"Shhhhhhh!" Amy said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "The Admiral is scheming."
"But, I-"
"Shhhhhhhhh! If she explains the plan, it takes all the magic out of it," Amy said cheerfully. "Trust me, I've worked out the process by this point."
— Infinity
Gilmore: Well, Doctor, are we out of the woods?
The Doctor: Provided everything goes according to my plan.
Rachel: Plan?
Allison: I, er, I don't suppose you could let us know what your plan is?
The Doctor: It's a surprise.
Rachel: Good. I love surprises.
The Doctor: Provided everything goes according to my plan.
Rachel: Plan?
Allison: I, er, I don't suppose you could let us know what your plan is?
The Doctor: It's a surprise.
Rachel: Good. I love surprises.
— Doctor Who, "Remembrance of the Daleks"
The Doctor: I've got a better idea this time.
Bill: Which is the part you never tell me.
The Doctor: Don't I?
Bill: No.
The Doctor: I probably just get interrupted.
Bill: Which is the part you never tell me.
The Doctor: Don't I?
Bill: No.
The Doctor: I probably just get interrupted.
— Doctor Who, "The Eaters of Light"
Cecil: Why are you so confident in this plan?
Gwen: I've got secret backup plans, too. I can't reveal them now! They'll only work if they are revealed at a super cool dramatic moment.
Gwen: I've got secret backup plans, too. I can't reveal them now! They'll only work if they are revealed at a super cool dramatic moment.
Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange): I just looked into our possible futures. There’s 14,000,605 futures where we lose and 1 future where we win.
Chris Pratt (Star Lord): Okay … so you’re going to tell us what happens in that one winning future, right? So we can all do that?
Benedict Cumberbatch: I think it’s best if only I know. So sue me, I wanted to have some value in this movie beyond MacGuffin Storage Device.
Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man): Dude!! If there’s only one precise path to victory amongst millions, then each and every one of our smallest decisions is critical! Fucking share already!
Benedict Cumberbatch: (whistles)
Tom Holland (Spider-Man): Right, fuck him.
Chris Pratt (Star Lord): Okay … so you’re going to tell us what happens in that one winning future, right? So we can all do that?
Benedict Cumberbatch: I think it’s best if only I know. So sue me, I wanted to have some value in this movie beyond MacGuffin Storage Device.
Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man): Dude!! If there’s only one precise path to victory amongst millions, then each and every one of our smallest decisions is critical! Fucking share already!
Benedict Cumberbatch: (whistles)
Tom Holland (Spider-Man): Right, fuck him.
— The Editing Room’s abridged script for Avengers: Infinity War
Iron Man: Tell me this is it.
Doctor Strange: If I tell you what happens...it won't happen.
Doctor Strange: If I tell you what happens...it won't happen.
"I dunno... For some reason I feel that when everyone is informed of a plan, it never works..."
Shego: There is no plan in this, is there?
Drakken: (sing-song) Oh, but there is!
Shego: Spill!
Drakken: No.
Shego: Why not?!
Drakken: Kim Possible is not smarter than you...
Shego: True.
Drakken: If you can't figure it out, she can't figure it out. And that means...
Shego: You... just might win...!
Drakken: (sing-song) Oh, but there is!
Shego: Spill!
Drakken: No.
Shego: Why not?!
Drakken: Kim Possible is not smarter than you...
Shego: True.
Drakken: If you can't figure it out, she can't figure it out. And that means...
Shego: You... just might win...!
