There are a lot of clichés that may not make a lot of sense at face value. I've found some actually go a lot deeper than you expect, or may actually apply on multiple levels. Common wisdom often hits harder than I initially realized as I've gotten older...

Edit: and as you comment shows, I've also been guilty of straight-up misinterpreting the meanings as well. Literally just the other day i realized that Lifesavers™ candy are supposed to be little life preservers, as one would have on a boat. For whatever reason, i thought they were just making some grandiose claim as brands often like to do... Sometimes our first impressions become our impressions until correction which may not take place for a long time

I've only had this phrase explained to me recently, and since then I can't help but think it would make more sense if it was told the other way around; such as "you can't eat your cake and have it too".

No problem, chief 👍