So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Variations and History:
This quote is the famous last line from Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby.
The line leading up to this famous quotes is as follows:
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. ... And one fine morning —
The precise meaning of the final lines of the book are often interpreted differently, but all of them including a seeking of the unattainable.