All good things must come to an end
Meaning: Nothing pleasant lasts forever.
Origin: The thought is often traced to Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde (1380s), which says that "every thing hath ende." Chaucer does not mention good things; the word "good" was added to the saying much later.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Toutes les bonnes choses ont une fin (literally: All good things have an end)
- Spanish: Todo lo bueno llega a su fin (literally: All good things come to their end)
- Japanese: 盛者必衰 (Jōsha hissui) (literally: The prosperous must decline)
- German: Alles hat ein Ende (literally: Everything has an end)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Half a loaf is better than none — Something is better than nothing.
- Don't reinvent the wheel — Don't waste effort on solved problems.
- Don't put the cart before the horse — Do things in the correct order.
- Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do — Sometimes unconventional paths lead to correct outcomes.
- Great minds think alike — Intelligent people often reach the same conclusions.
- Cross that bridge when you come to it — Deal with problems only when they arise.