You ca n't have your cake and eat it - wikipedia You ca n't have your cake and eat it You ca n't have your cake and eat it ( too ) is a popular English idiomatic proverb or figure of speech. The proverb literally means `` you can not simultaneously retain your cake and eat it ''. Once the cake is eaten, it is gone. It can be used to say that one can not or should not have or want more than one deserves or is reasonable, or that one can not or should not try to have two incompatible things. The proverb 's meaning is similar to the phrases `` you ca n't have it both ways '' and `` you ca n't have the best of both worlds. '' Many people misunderstand the meanings of `` have '' and `` eat '' as used here but still understand the proverb in its entirety and intent and use it in this form. Some people feel this form of the proverb is incorrect and illogical and instead prefer `` you ca n't eat your cake and ( then still ) have it '', which is in fact closer to the original form of the proverb ( see further explanations below ) but uncommon today. Another variant uses `` keep '' instead of `` have ''. Having to choose whether to have or eat your cake illustrates the concept of trade - offs or opportunity cost. Contents 1 History 2 Literal meaning 3 Other languages 4 References 5 External links History The order of the clauses in the saying has been the subject of some debate, and was even used in forensic linguistics ( contributing to the identification and arrest of the so - called Unabomber ). An early recording of the phrase is in a letter on 14 March 1538 from Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Cromwell, as `` a man can not have his cake and eat his cake ''. The phrase occurs with the clauses reversed in John Heywood 's `` A dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue '' from 1546, as `` wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake ? ''. In John Davies ' `` Scourge of Folly '' of 1611, the same order is used, as `` A man can not eat his cake and haue it stil. '' In Jonathan Swift 's 1738 farce `` Polite Conversation '', the character Lady Answerall says `` she can not eat her cake and have her cake. '' The order was reversed again in a posthumous adaptation of `` Polite Conversation '' in 1749, `` Tittle Tattle ; or, Taste A-la - Mode '', as `` And she can not have her Cake and eat her Cake. '' From 1812 ( R.C. Knopf 's `` Document Transcriptions of War of 1812 '' ( 1959 ) VI. 204 ) is a modern - sounding recording of `` We can not have our cake and eat it too. '' According to the Google Ngram Viewer, the eat - first order was more common until about 1935, since which time the have - first order has become much more popular. Literal meaning Paul Brians, Professor of English at Washington State University, points out that perhaps a more logical or easier to understand version of this saying is, `` You ca n't eat your cake and have it too. '' Professor Brians writes that a common source of confusion about this idiom stems from the verb to have which in this case indicates that once eaten, keeping possession of the cake is no longer possible, seeing that it is in your stomach ( and no longer exists as a cake ). Alternatively, the two verbs can be understood to represent a sequence of actions, so one can indeed `` have '' one 's cake and then `` eat '' it. Consequently, the literal meaning of the reversed idiom does n't match the metaphorical meaning. The phrase can also have specialized meaning in academic contexts ; Classicist Katharina Volk of Columbia University has used the phrase to describe the development of poetic imagery in Latin didactic poetry, naming the principle behind the imagery 's adoption and application the `` have - one 's - cake - and - eat - it - too principle ''. In English, `` have '' can mean `` eat '', as in `` Let 's have breakfast '' or `` I 'm having a sandwich ''. So the saying `` You ca n't have your cake and eat it too '' may mean that you ca n't eat the cake and then eat it again ; or less metaphorically, that what you want is unreasonable. This interpretation makes sense in both the `` have - eat '' and `` eat - have '' iterations of the idiom, and might explain why the earliest known iteration is `` have - eat ''. Other languages This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2014 ) Various expressions are used to convey similar idioms in other languages : Albanian : Të hysh në ujë e të mos lagesh. -- To take a swim and not get wet. Bulgarian : Не може и вълкът да е сит, и агнето цяло. -- You ca n't have both the wolf fed, and the lamb intact. Bosnian : Ne možeš imati i jare i pare. -- You ca n't have both the lamb and the money. Simplified Chinese : 鱼 与 熊 掌, 不可 兼 得. ; traditional Chinese : 魚 與 熊 掌, 不可 兼 得. -- You ca n't have both the fish and the bear 's paw. ( Bear 's paw is considered a delicacy in ancient China. ) Croatian : Ne možeš imati i ovce i novce -- You ca n't have both the sheep ( pl. ) and the money. Also, Vuk sit, ovce na broju -- The wolf is full, the sheep are all accounted for. Czech : Nejde sedět zadkem na dvou židlích -- You ca n't sit on two chairs at the same time. Danish : Man kan ikke både blæse og have mel i munden -- You can not both blow and have flour in your mouth. Or Danish : Man kan ikke få både i pose og ( i ) sæk - You ca n't get both in bag and ( in ) sack. Dutch : Je moet kiezen of delen -- You have to choose or share. This is based on Dutch civil law where in a division of property one person divides the property in two parts and the other person chooses the part he likes most. French : Vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre -- to want the butter and the money from ( selling ) the butter. The idiom can be emphasized by adding et le sourire de la crémière ( `` and a smile from the ( female ) shopkeeper '' ). German : Wasch mir den Pelz, aber mach mich nicht nass -- wash my fur but do n't get me wet. Also, Man kann nicht auf zwei Hochzeiten tanzen -- one can not dance at two weddings ( at the same time ). Swiss German : Du chasch nit dr Füfer und s Weggli ha -- you ca n't have the five cent coin and a bread roll. Greek : Και την πίτα ολόκληρη και τον σκύλο χορτάτο -- you want the entire pie and the dog full. Gujarati : બે હાથમાં લાડુ હોવા - having Laddu in both your hands. Hebrew : אי אפשר לאכול את העוגה ולהשאיר אותה שלמה ‎ ‎ -- you ca n't eat the cake and keep it whole. Also, Hebrew : אי אפשר להחזיק את המקל משתי הקצוות ‎ ‎ - It is impossible to hold the stick from both ends. Hungarian : Olyan nincs, hogy a kecske is jóllakjon, és a káposzta is megmaradjon -- It is impossible that the goat has enough to eat and the cabbage remains as well. Also, Egy fenékkel nem lehet két lovat megülni -- It is impossible to ride two horses with one butt. ( The meaning is similar to the Romanian translation. ) Nem lehet egyszerre házaséletet is élni és szűznek is maradni. - It is not possible to go to the wedding bed and still remain a virgin. Icelandic : Það er ekki hægt að bæði halda og sleppa - You ca n't have and have not at the same time. Also : Bágt er að blása og hafa mjöl í munni. -- You can not both blow and have flour in your mouth. Italian : Volere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca -- to want the barrel full and the wife drunk. Kannada : ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಆಸೆ, ನೆಂಟರ ಮೇಲೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿ -- Desire over rice, love over relatives. Korean : 두 마리 토끼 를 잡을 수 없다 -- You ca n't catch two rabbits ( at the same time ). Malayalam : കക്ഷത്തിലുള്ളത് പോകാനും പാടില്ല ഉത്തരത്തിലുള്ളത് വേണം താനും ! -- You want both the one on the roof, and the one in your armpit. Nepali : दुवै हातमा लड्डु -- having laddu ( a sweet candy ) in both your hands. Norwegian : Man kan ikke få både i pose og sekk -- You ca n't get both in bag and sack. Papiamento : Skohe of lag'i skohe -- choose or let choose. Pashto : Dawara ghaaray ma wahaa ‎ -- You can not be on both sides. Persian : هم خدا را خواستن و هم خرما را ‎ ‎ -- wanting both God and the sugar - dates. Polish : Zjeść ciastko i mieć ciastko -- To eat the cookie and have the cookie. Portuguese : Querer ter sol na eira e chuva no nabal -- Wanting the sun to shine on the threshing floor, while it rains on the turnip field. Romanian : Nu poți împăca și capra și varza -- You ca n't reconcile the goat and the cabbage. Also, Și cu tigaia unsă și cu slănina în pod - To have the pan greased and the lard in the attic ( or the more vulgar version : Şi cu dânsa - ntr - însa, şi cu sufletu - n rai - To have ' it ' in ' it ' and the soul in heaven. ) Russian : И рыбку съесть, и в воду не лезть -- wanting to eat a fish without first catching it from the waters. Serbian : Не можеш да имаш и јаре и паре -- You ca n't have both goatling and money, and Не можеш сести с једним дупетом на две столице -- You ca n't sit on two chairs with one butt. Spanish : Querer estar en misa y en procesión -- wishing to be both at mass and in the procession, and estar en misa y repicando ( or estar en misa y tocar la campana -- to be both at mass and in the belfry, bell - ringing. Argentina : la chancha y los veinte -- the pig and the twenties. ( Comes from the old piggybanks for children that used to contain coins of 20 cents. The only way to get the coins was to break the piggybank open -- hence the phrase. This can be emphasized by adding y la máquina de hacer chorizos -- and the machine to make sausage. Swedish : Att äta kakan och ha den kvar - To eat the cookie and still have it. Tamil : மீசைக்கும் ஆசை கூழுக்கும் ஆசை -- desire to have both the moustache and to drink the soup. Turkish : Ne yardan geçer, ne serden. -- Neither giving up one 's lover nor one 's self. Vietnamese : Được cái này mất cái kia. -- You gain one thing but lose the other. Welsh : Allwch chi mo'i chael hi bob ffordd. -- You ca n't have it all ways. Also, Allwch chi ddim cadw torth a'i bwyta hi - You ca n't keep a loaf and eat it. References Jump up ^ `` Definition of cake in English ''. Oxford Dictionaris. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Jump up ^ Ngram Viewer. Google. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Jump up ^ Ngram Viewer. Google. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Jump up ^ Fitzpatrick, John R ( 2006 - 06 - 15 ). John Stuart Mill 's Political Philosophy : Balancing Freedom and the Collective Good. p. 154. ISBN 9781847143440. Jump up ^ Fullbrook, Edward ( 2008 - 10 - 21 ). Ontology and Economics : Tony Lawson and His Critics. p. 17. ISBN 9780203888773. Jump up ^ Suits, Daniel Burbidge ( 1973 ). Principles of economics. p. 49. ISBN 9780060465285. Jump up ^ `` Language Log : Forensic linguistics, the Unabomber, and the etymological fallacy ''. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 20. Jump up ^ Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 13 Part 1 : January - July 1538 ( p. 189 ref. 504 ). Institute of Historical Research ( `` Sponsor '' ). Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ `` cake ''. Oxford English Dictionary ( 3rd ed. ). Oxford University Press. September 2005. ( Subscription or UK public library membership required. ) Jump up ^ Shapiro, Fred R ( 2006 ). The Yale Book of Quotations. ISBN 9780300107982. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ Swift, Jonathan ( 1841 ). The Works of Jonathan Swift... : Containing interesting and valuable papers. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ Timothy Fribble ( Pseud. ), Jonathan Swift ( 1749 ). Tittle Tattle. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Have Your Cake and Eat It Too ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Eat / Have, Have / Eat Your Cake ! ''. ABLE Innovations Blog. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 25. Jump up ^ Speake, Jennifer ( 2008 ). `` Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. ISBN 9780199539536. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ Graph at Google Ngram Viewer Jump up ^ Common Errors in English : Eat Cake. Washington State University. Retrieved 2008 - 03 - 26. Jump up ^ Katharina Volk, The Poetics of Latin Didactic. Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, Manilius. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 05. Jump up ^ `` dict.org ''. Jump up ^ `` Redensarten-Index.de ''. Jump up ^ This is a euphemism for a common vulgar expression и рыбку съесть, и на хуй сесть first used by Alexander Pushkin in a private letter. Jump up ^ Griffiths, Bruce ; Jones, Dafydd Glyn ( 1995 ). Geiriadur yr Academi : The Welsh Academy English -- Welsh Dictionary. Cardiff : University of Wales Press. p. 191. ISBN 0708311865. External links The dictionary definition of have one 's cake and eat it too at Wiktionary Post at `` The Phrase Finder '', quoting Wise Words and Wives ' Tales : The Origins, Meanings and Time - Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New and The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=You_can%27t_have_your_cake_and_eat_it&oldid=802349326 '' Categories : English phrases English - language idioms Metaphors referring to food and drink Hidden categories : All articles that may contain original research Articles that may contain original research from November 2015 Articles needing additional references from December 2014 All articles needing additional references Articles containing Albanian - language text Articles containing Bulgarian - language text Articles containing Bosnian - language text Articles containing simplified Chinese - language text Articles containing traditional Chinese - language text Articles containing Croatian - language text Articles containing Czech - language text Articles containing Danish - language text Articles containing Dutch - language text Articles containing French - language text Articles containing German - language text Articles containing Greek - language text Articles containing Hebrew - language text Articles containing Hungarian - language text Articles containing Icelandic - language text Articles containing Italian - language text Articles containing Kannada - language text Articles containing Korean - language text Articles containing Malayalam - language text Articles containing Nepali - language text Articles containing Norwegian - language text Articles containing Papiamento - language text Articles containing Pashto - language text Articles containing Persian - language text Articles containing Polish - language text Articles containing Portuguese - language text Articles containing Romanian - language text Articles containing Russian - language text Articles containing Serbian - language text Articles containing Spanish - language text Articles containing Swedish - language text Articles containing Tamil - language text Articles containing Turkish - language text Articles containing Vietnamese - language text Articles containing Welsh - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 September 2017, at 16 : 22. 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Question: have your cake and eat it too mean
Answer: you cannot simultaneously retain your cake and eat it