the best of both (or all possible) worlds the benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time.
☞ The variant all possible worlds alludes to the catchphrase of the eternally optimistic philosopher Dr Pangloss in Voltaire's Candide (1759): Dans ce meilleur des mondes possibles…tout est au mieux, usually quoted in English as 'Everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds'.