"All is fair in love and war" - the meaning?

B.A._Baracus

This is just a dumb thread so don't take it seriously :pac:
But I have heard different uses of the famous expression in my life. The first meaning is:

- that in emotionally fueled situations (such as love or war) things are fair. But only in either example (love or war) nothing in between.

- the other, which I believe to be the true meaning, is that EVERYTHING is fair. As both love and war are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. So the expression indirectly means everything.

What you think :pac:

I think it's that in love and war, all is fair i.e. in those situations anything is fair, that doesn't necessarily mean nothing is fair in between as you posit.

Bob the Seducer

My understanding of the phrase is that in order to gain an advantage, whether in the context of love or war, anything goes.

Your Face

To me, its comparing love and war to show that there are similarities between the two and that, in reality, there are no rules to either endeavor.