“All is well that ends well”: meaning, origin and examples
What it means
The phrase All is well that ends well means that a difficult or problematic situation is ultimately acceptable if everything turns out well in the end.
Tone Optimistic
Where it comes from
The proverb is older than Shakespeare: it appears in John Heywood’s collection of English proverbs in 1546. Today it is best known as the title of Shakespeare’s comedy All’s Well That Ends Well, and all’s well is the usual spoken form.
Examples
- Although the project faced many hurdles and setbacks, we delivered on time and the client was happy, so all is well that ends well.
- The trip was chaotic with lost luggage and flight delays, but we finally made it to the wedding on time; all is well that ends well.
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