Origin
The earliest known origin of the sentiment “all is fair in love in war” is found in poet John Lyly’s novel “Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit,” published in 1579.
Explanation
All’s fair in love and war means there is no act that is too terrible or too great when you are going after the person you love or making war on your enemies. Usually, the quote is uttered when someone is trying to justify bad behaviour. While a case can be made that true love is worth any price, or whatever you have to do to win your war is necessary if your cause is just, a case can also be made to the contrary. It means that there are no rules applicable in the game of love and in war. There is no room for fair play when a person is desperately trying to win the heart of someone he/she loves, or when a person is going to face his enemies, kill them, and come back alive. This idiom is used for saying that where there is conflict, people can be expected to behave in a more vicious way. People in love and soldiers in wartime are not bound by the rules of fair play. When you are in love or waging war, you are allowed to be deceitful in order to get what you want.
Examples
I cheated in the entrance exam, but I really want to get into that school, and all’s fair in love and war.
To get Judy to go out with him, Bob lied and told her that her boyfriend was seeing another woman. All’s fair in love and war.
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