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- You cannot have your cake and eat it
You cannot have your cake and eat it
You cannot have your cake and eat it (too).
Prov. You cannot enjoy two desirable things at the same time. Jill: There's an apartment across the street from me, much bigger and prettier than mine, and it even costs less. I'd really like to rent it—but I don't want to go to the trouble of moving. Jane: You can't have your cake and eat it too. Fred: I want to lose weight, but I'm not willing to change the way I eat. Alan: You can't have your cake and eat it.