We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Thus wrote E. M. Forster, the English novelist and philosopher of the human spirit, whose words shine with quiet wisdom and timeless truth. In this saying, he reminds us that life is not a script to be followed, but a mystery to be lived. The plans we make are often small maps drawn from the narrow vision of our desires, while life itself — vast, unpredictable, and divine — holds for us paths we could never have imagined. To cling to our plans is to cling to illusion; to let go is to open the door to destiny.

Forster, who lived in the early twentieth century, was a man of great introspection, shaped by an era of transformation — the breaking of old traditions and the birth of modern thought. He saw how people, bound by duty, convention, or fear, often built cages of their own making. Yet through his novels, such as A Passage to India and Howards End, he urged humanity to live authentically — to break free from rigid expectations and embrace the living pulse of experience. The quote arises from this philosophy: that the life we have planned is a reflection of our ego, but the life that awaits us comes from something far greater — the wisdom of the universe, or what the ancients would call fate.

To understand Forster’s teaching, one must first accept the humility it demands. We plan our futures with certainty — our careers, our loves, our homes — yet how little control we truly hold! The river of existence flows where it will, and often our plans are stones placed against its current. When life shatters our designs — through loss, failure, or unexpected change — we feel betrayed. But Forster tells us that in these moments of breaking, grace begins its work. The plans we lose are not punishments, but invitations — to surrender, to grow, to discover what the soul truly needs. For only when the hand unclenches its grip on what it wanted can it receive what it was meant for.

Consider the story of Helen Keller, born deaf and blind, her world a silent darkness. Surely, no one could have “planned” such a life. Yet when the young girl met her teacher, Anne Sullivan, a door opened to a destiny greater than anyone could have foreseen. Through patience and love, Keller learned to speak, to write, to think, and to inspire millions. The life she might have planned — an ordinary existence — was lost; but the life waiting for her was luminous beyond measure. Her story is the living echo of Forster’s wisdom: that what seems like ruin to the mind may be the unfolding of divine design to the soul.

The ancients, too, spoke of this surrender. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus taught that peace lies in aligning one’s will with the will of nature. “Do not wish for events to happen as you desire,” he said, “but wish them to happen as they do, and you will find serenity.” To let go is not to give up; it is to trust the rhythm of life, to believe that what awaits us is not the enemy of our happiness, but its truest form. This is the courage of faith — not in doctrine, but in the wisdom of existence itself.

Yet Forster’s words also carry a challenge: to release control is to face fear. We are creatures of habit, clinging to what we know — even when it confines us. The unknown feels perilous, yet it is only there that transformation dwells. To step beyond our plans is to walk into mystery, to accept that the life waiting for us may demand change, loss, and rebirth. But in this surrender lies freedom — the freedom to live fully, not as we expected, but as we were meant to. The caterpillar does not plan to fly; it simply obeys the call of metamorphosis. So too must we allow ourselves to be remade by what we cannot foresee.

So, my child, take this teaching as a lamp for your journey. Do not cling too tightly to your designs, nor despair when life unravels them. When plans crumble, listen — for that is the whisper of destiny calling. Trust that the path ahead, though uncertain, is guided by a wisdom older than the stars. Be willing to release what no longer fits, to forgive what you cannot change, and to step boldly into the unfolding unknown. For in that surrender, you will find not loss, but the miracle of becoming.

In the end, Forster’s wisdom is not one of resignation, but of faith in the unseen harmony of life. The universe does not conspire against us; it conspires to awaken us. And when we finally let go of the life we thought we wanted, we discover the one we were always meant to live — richer, deeper, and infinitely more beautiful than any plan our mortal hearts could have drawn.