You cannot sell the cow and drink the milk

You cannot enjoy the milk and have at the same time the advantages of the money got for the cow. In the other words, you must have one thing or the other, not both.

See also:

• A door must be either shut or open
• No man can serve two masters
• You cannot burn the candle at both ends
• You cannot have it both ways
• You cannot have your cake and eat it
• You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
• You cannot serve God and Mammon