[General] What does this sentence mean?

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Silverobama

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Hi,

What does this sentence mean?


His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty, but the court merely put him on probation; all's well that ends well .


Thanks a lot
 

Silverobama

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Thanks a lot, but does the term make sense in the original sentence?
 

bhaisahab

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Thanks a lot, but does the term make sense in the original sentence?
Well, I suppose he could have been sent to prison but the court put him on probation instead. That could be seen as all ending well, don't you think?
 

Raymott

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Well, I suppose he could have been sent to prison but the court put him on probation instead. That could be seen as all ending well, don't you think?
Except for the victim, maybe!
 

Silverobama

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Thanks a lot, my friends.

But the sentence is really beyond my comprehension, I looked up the term created by W.Shakespeare, and also I got some sentences talking about the term, but this one is really an ambugious one.
 

5jj

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If a situation that could have ended badly ends comparatively well, then all's well that ends well. Bhaisahab explained how this could be applied to your original situation. What do you find ambiguous?
 

Silverobama

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According to the definition, the definition of this famous saying is:

An event that has a good ending is good even if some things went wrong along the way.

If the definition is correct, let us look at the original sentence provided by dictionary.reference.com

His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty, but the court merely put him on probation; all's well that ends well

I don't know what "his" means in the sentence, does it mean "Jack's lawyer"?
Does "end's well" mean "He merely was put on probation" while "all's well" mean "His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty."?

I feel confusing, sorry.
 

Raymott

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According to the definition, the definition of this famous saying is:

An event that has a good ending is good even if some things went wrong along the way.

If the definition is correct, let us look at the original sentence provided by dictionary.reference.com

His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty, but the court merely put him on probation; all's well that ends well

I don't know what "his" means in the sentence, does it mean "Jack's lawyer"?
Yes.

Does "end's well" mean "He merely was put on probation" while "all's well" mean "His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty."?

I feel confusing, sorry.
No, you feel confused.
I think you're trying to read too much into that saying.
Did everything end well? Yes. Fine, then all's well!
Everything's OK; it's all Hunky Dory; it's sweet; she's apples; No problemo.
If it end's well, you don't have to pick over the event to see what "all's well" refers to. That is exactly what the saying means. It means "all, everything, things in general".

Note that you don't have to agree that "all's well simply because it ends well" to understand the phrase.
 

Silverobama

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Thanks a lot, I guess I understand the phrase, but I don't know how to understand the sentence, to see the relation between plead guilty and put on probation. Can you tell me more?
 

Raymott

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Thanks a lot, I guess I understand the phrase, but I don't know how to understand the sentence, to see the relation between plead guilty and put on probation. Can you tell me more?
OK, the person is guilty. He wants to plead not guilty. The lawyer says, "No, you should plead guilty; if you do, the judge will be more lenient in sentencing you."
The prisoner responds, "But if I plead not guilty, I might get off completely. You want me to incriminate myself, and be sent to jail!"
Lawyer: "Look, the jury is going to find you guilty anyway. The prosecution has a water-tight case. Plead guilty and throw yourself onto the mercy of the court. If you plead not guilty, and make the jurors and the judge sit through a lengthy trial, you'll probably get the maximum penalty!"
"Gee, I don't know. This is causing me a lot of consternation," says the prisoner.
"Trust me", says the lawyer.

Well, after all the angst, and not knowing what to do, the prisoner pleads guilty, and all his fears of going to jail were unfounded. He only got parole.
Now, does he sit around moaning about what could have happened? Does he blame his lawyer for putting him through all that turmoil?
No; it ended well, so all's well.
 

Silverobama

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Definitely helpful, my dear friend.
 
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