ekki verður bæði sleppt og haldið

Icelandic

Etymology

From ekki (“not”) + verður, from verða (“to become, to take place”) + bæði (“both”) + sleppt, the neuter participle of sleppa (“to let go”), + og (“and”) + haldið, the neuter participle of halda (“to hold”). Literally meaning "it shall not be both let go and held" or "it's not possible to both let go and hold on".

Phrase

ekki verður bæði sleppt og haldið

have one's cake and eat it, too