What does “So we beat on against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” mean in the great gatsby

Question

I would like to know, to see if I could use it in my paper

Answer 1

No matter what we do, the past still affects our choices in the present.

Answer 2

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/quo...  

^^explanation of important quotes, it's the last one