One way to find the quote and Gatsby so similar is essentially the fall of Gatsby's reputation and his inability to continue moving forward, pushing him back into the past where he had tried to avoid all his life. Gatsby, in his youth, found ways to always keep moving forward and when Gatsby met Wolfsheim was when he became rich and successful. When Nick at the end of the book did his quote about Gatsby, in his quote when he said "so we beat on boats against the tide". He also mentions everyone in Gatsby's life, how they all just moved on with their own lives. life, few people were sad about Gatsby's death because almost no one was present at the funeral. If Gatsby hadn't taken the time to see Daisy again and stayed out of the past in general, he wouldn't have died and might have continued living his dream of