A: Why did you quit your well-paying job to pursue a career as a novelist?

B: I used to think money was the be-all and end-all of happiness, but I was wrong.

Note: “Be-all and end-all” means “something considered to be of the utmost importance.” We sometimes conclude a discussion with “that will be all,” meaning no more discussion is necessary, or “that’ll be the end of it,” meaning the same — “no more talk is wanted.” Hence, figuratively speaking, the idiom means everything and the end of everything, i.e., the whole thing, or something of the utmost importance. William Shakespeare coined this phrase in “Macbeth” in 1605 according to phrases.org.uk.