All's well that ends well
Meaning: A good outcome justifies the difficulties along the way.
Origin: The title of Shakespeare's comedy All's Well That Ends Well (c. 1604–05), whose heroine Helena speaks the line as her plan to win back her husband nears its end. Shakespeare was borrowing an existing proverb: the idea that a good ending redeems the troubles before it was already current in medieval English.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
- French: Tout est bien qui finit bien (literally: All is well that ends well)
- Spanish: Bien está lo que bien acaba (literally: What ends well is well)
- Japanese: 終わり良ければ全て良し (Owari yokereba subete yoshi) (literally: If the end is good, everything is good)
- German: Ende gut, alles gut (literally: End good, all good)
- Italian: Tutto è bene che riesce bene (literally: All’s well that ends well)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- A rolling stone gathers no moss — Those who keep moving avoid stagnation (or commitments).
- Don't burn your bridges — Don't destroy relationships you might need later.
- Pearls before swine — Giving something valuable to those who can't appreciate it.
- Hindsight is 20/20 — Past decisions are always clearer in retrospect.
- Let sleeping dogs lie — Don't stir up trouble that has settled down.
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away — Regular healthy habits prevent illness.
From our idioms
- C'est la croix et la bannière — It is an enormous effort or ordeal.
- Faire la fine bouche — To be overly picky or hard to please.
- Se lever du pied gauche — To wake up in a bad mood.