“If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.”

I have always been a fan of insightful quotes, and this one by Allan Konigsberg — better known to the world as Woody Allen — is one of my favorites. It’s a spin-off of an old Yiddish proverb: “We plan, God laughs.”

And what better persona than the helpless, schlumpy Woody Allen to deliver the message that we are not in control of our lives as much as we like to think.

Something about this is so universal and so humbling that I can’t help but smile every time I read it.

Too often while growing up we are told by parents and teachers that we alone are in control of our destiny. That we alone are masters of our own universe. If only we have the guts to see into the future and grab what is ours by natural right.

What this quote does is level the playing field for everybody. It reminds us that no matter how strong or weak we think we are, no matter what harsh hand we think we’ve been dealt in this life, there is a Higher Power that will have the final say.

Almost as if, upon hearing of our lofty wishes and well-laid plans, the Higher Power smiles like the wise grandparent and chuckles ever so mildly, “Uh, we’ll see about that.”