Grammar fix
when all is said and done
summarising / ultimately
Used to introduce a final summary or main point after considering all the details or arguments.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
When all is said and done, family is what matters most to me.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a career, such as salary, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. But when all is said and done, I think personal fulfillment is the most important thing.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: When all said and done, we tried our best.
Say: When all is said and done, we tried our best.
Don't drop 'is' — it's 'when all IS said and done'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
The idiom is the natural emphatic summariser; the paraphrase is laboured.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
when all is said and done,
- it's
- we
- what counts
- nothing