Of a good beginning cometh a good end.

John Heywood (c. 1497–c. 1580) was an English playwright and collector of proverbs active at the Tudor court. The saying “Of a good beginning cometh a good end” belongs to the moral, proverbial wisdom that Heywood popularized in mid-16th-century England, when printed collections of adages circulated widely and were used for instruction, rhetoric, and everyday counsel. The line is associated with Heywood’s proverb compilations rather than a specific dramatic scene, reflecting the period’s belief that prudent planning and virtuous first steps tend to shape outcomes. It exemplifies the plain, memorable phrasing that made Heywood’s proverbs durable in English usage.

The proverb asserts a causal link between beginnings and outcomes: starting well—through careful preparation, sound judgment, or moral intention—makes a favorable conclusion more likely. It does not claim that success is guaranteed, but that the initial conditions of an undertaking strongly influence what follows. In a Tudor moral framework, “good beginning” can imply both practical foresight and ethical orientation; the “good end” is the natural fruit of right ordering at the start. The saying functions as advice (take care at the outset) and as a retrospective explanation (a happy result often traces back to a well-laid foundation).