(not) the be-all and end-all

(not) the be-all and end-all

(Not) the most important event or thing. My little sister thinks that a date with the captain of the football team is just the be-all and end-all of her life right now. Oh honey, I know you're disappointed, but failing the driver's license test is not the be-all and end-all. You'll just practice some more and then take it again.
See also: and
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

be-all and end-all

Cliché something that is the very best or most important; something so good that it will end the search for something better. Finishing the building of his boat became the be-all and end-all of Roger's existence. Sally is the be-all and the end-all of Don's life.
See also: and
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

be-all and end-all, the

The most important element or purpose, as in Buying a house became the be-all and end-all for the newlyweds. Shakespeare used this idiom in Macbeth (1:6), where Macbeth muses that "this blow might be the be-all and the end-all" for his replacing Duncan as king. [Late 1500s]
See also: and
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

not the be-all and end-all

COMMON If something is not the be-all and end-all, it is not the only important thing in a particular situation. Results are not the be-all and end-all of education. My career is important, but it's not the be-all and end-all.
See also: and, not
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

the be-all and end-all

a feature of an activity or a way of life that is of greater importance than any other. informal
See also: and
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

the ˌbe-all and ˈend-all (of something)

(informal) the most important thing/person; the only thing/person that matters: His girlfriend is the be-all and end-all of his existence. I’ll never be rich, but money isn’t the be-all and end-all, you know.
See also: and
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

be-all and end-all, the

The ultimate purpose, the most important concern. An early and famous use of this term is in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1.6), in which the ambitious Macbeth soliloquizes about assassinating Duncan so as to become king: “. . . that but this blow [the murder] might be the be-all and the end-all here.” Eric Partridge held it was a cliché by the nineteenth century, but it is heard less often today.
See also: and
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • be-all and end-all
  • be-all and end-all, the
  • not the be-all and end-all
  • the be-all and end-all
  • end
  • think (someone) hung the moon and the stars
  • every horse thinks its own pack heaviest
  • a big head
  • back of (one's) mind
  • back of one's mind