I want to merge two common sayings and use them as signature on scuba diving related web sites. I've come up with:
Plan the dive, dive the plan, and never forget that no plan survives the contact with the reality.
but I've trouble with the two "the" in bold. It seems to me that all four variations (with and without each "the") are correct, but I don't know what nuance each conveys. Which would be better and why?
The original phrase was "No plan survives contact with the enemy." It refers to a plan of battle, and "the enemy" is a mass noun referring to all the troops fielded by an opposing force.
In your version of the phrase, 'reality' is a singular noun. There is only one reality, so you don't need to say "the reality". The most common way to write it would be "No plan survives contact with reality."
You could say "the reality", in which case it would mean something like "the reality of the situation", but it feels a bit awkward and isn't necessary, so I don't recommend it.
While "the contact" is also potentially valid (as in "the moment of contact"), that also feels awkward -- but more to the point, since you're borrowing an idiom with a set phrasing, you should stick to the original wording as much as possible.
