[Ads-l] Request help researching adage: Everything is OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Thu Dec 15 06:24:01 UTC 2022


The saying in the subject line has been attributed to John Lennon,
Oscar Wilde, Paul Coelho, Fernando Sabino, and others. I have received
nine inquiries for this quotation.

The earliest match I have found appears in a book by Fernando Sabino
in Brazilian Portuguese (I think). Here are the details. Does your
research library have this book?

Year: 1988 Copyright
Book Title: O tabuleiro de damas (The checkerboard)
Author: Fernando Sabino
Quote Page 79 (unverified)
Publisher: Editora Record, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Note: Google Books snippet match, the following excerpt is from Google
Books; text is not  visible in snippet

[Begin excerpt]
O melhor , talvez , que me lembre, foi o que me disse um dia em que me
encontrou entregue à aflição de espírito: Meu filho , tudo no fim dá
certo . Se não deu , é porque ainda não chegou ao fim.
[End excerpt]

[Begin Google Translate]
Perhaps the best thing that I can remember is what he said to me one
day when he found me in the grip of a mental affliction: My son,
everything works out in the end. If it didn't, it's because it hasn't
come to an end yet.
[End Google Translate]

If you can help access this book please let me know on or off list.
Can you figure out from the context who is using the quotation? Is
Fernando Sabino attributing the quotation to his father? The goal is
to get scans of the page with the quotation, the title page, the
copyright page, the publisher page, and the date.

Below is the earliest match I have found in English:

Usenet discussion message,
Date: December 22, 2000
Newsgroup: alt.support.divorce
From: m miller
Subject: Re: Happy Christmas? Doubtful
Accessed: December 15, 2022

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.divorce/msg/d0fceea4e89c3b8e

[Begin excerpt]
Remember this:  Everything is OK in the end.  If it's not OK, it's not the end.
[End excerpt]

Below is another match in English.

Date: July 15, 2001
Newspaper: News of the World
Newspaper Location: London, England
Section: Features
Article: Festival of hate shames our land
Author: Bishop Pat Buckley
Quote Page Eire 11,
Database: NewsBank Access World News

[Begin excerpt]
THESE philosophical musings were sent to me by Sean Morrin, of Derry
City. Read them slowly-and think about them ...
True friendship never ends. Friends are for ever.
Don't frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.
Everything is OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end.
[End excerpt]

Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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