There's no such thing as a free lunch

Possible interpretation: We cannot get something for nothing. We must pay for everything. Nothing in life is free.

Origin: Often attributed to the American economist and Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman (1912-2006), this saying was around at least by the 1950s. Friedman popularized but did not originate it.

Variety: This is typically used in American English but may be used in other varieties of English too.