# you can't have your cake and eat it too

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/you-cant-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

You can't have everything

## Origin

First recorded in a 1538 letter from Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Cromwell: 'a man cannot have his cake and eat his cake.'

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.