He who laughs last laughs longest
See also: the List of Proverbs.
What's the meaning of the phrase 'He who laughs last laughs longest'?
Literal meaning.
What's the origin of the phrase 'He who laughs last laughs longest'?
This proverb originated in Tudor England but, for once, wasn't coined by Shakespeare. It is found in print in the play Christmas Prince, which was first performed, at Cambridge, around 1608:
Laugh on laugh on my freind
Hee laugheth best that laugheth to the end
See also: the List of Proverbs.