Of Mice and Men

Why did John Steinbeck named "Of mice and men"? Whayt is the meaning of "The plans of mice and men often go awry?

I do understand that the plans of Lennie and George did not went as planned? But why Mice and men?

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John Steinbeck takes the title of his little novel or novella from the poem "To a Mouse (on turning her up in her nest with the plough)." It was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785. The idea of the poem ( and the book) is that despite all our crazy plans, men and all animals (yes mice included) are subject to the harsh realities of life, including death. "The plans of mice and men often go awry" refers to the idea that man can never be sure about events in the future. Despite our best efforts, chaos always lurks behind our plans.