miles to go before I sleep

M

miles to go before I sleep

Meaning

• you have a lot to do before you can rest
• to complete something before you die

Example Sentences

1. We need to get all of these files completed before anyone leaves. There are miles to go before I sleep.
2. Their team is looking better, but they have miles to go before they sleep.
3. My history mark has approved this semester, but I have miles to go before I sleep.
4. Even though I am old, I am not ready to quit working yet. I have miles to go before I sleep.
5. I have built a company from the ground up, but there is still a lot that needs to be done. I have miles to go before I sleep.

Origin

The best-known and oldest use of the phrase is from the poem “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening” by Robert Frost. It was written in 1922. Depending on how the poem is interpreted it could mean that the poet was far from home, or figuratively it could mean that he had much to accomplish before dying.

Complete Poem by Robert Frost:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Before, Death, Sleep, Work