wer zuletzt lacht, lacht am besten
he who laughs last laughs best
Origin
The exact origin is unresolved; the idea of the late triumph is old and appears already in ancient formulations. In German form the proverb is attested from the 18th century (Goethe used it in 1805 in his translation of Diderot's 'Rameau's Nephew').
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Relative clauses with „wer/was“ and the continuative relative clauseRelativsätze mit „wer/was“ und weiterführender Relativsatz
- Inversion for emphasis and frontingInversion zur Emphase und Spitzenstellung
- Extraposition and the Nachfeld (post-field) as a stylistic deviceAusklammerung und Nachfeld als Stilmittel
- Possessive article 'dein' (your, informal)Possessivartikel 'dein' (your, informal)
- Possessive article 'ihr' (her)Possessivartikel 'ihr' (her)
- Possessive article 'euer' (your, plural)Possessivartikel 'euer' (your, plural)
Examples
Lach nur, wer lacht, lacht am besten.
Go ahead and laugh — he who laughs last laughs best.