What does this Julius Ceaser quotation mean?

[Shannan]

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

I was wondering if anyone could elaborate on what they think this quote means....please explain how you came to that and not just "this is what it means"...i'm looking for a somewhat personal answer

[The LawMan]

go to sparknotes.com and find the line and it will translate it to modern english

[ghost]

We have the power and must use it or of course lose it.

[illusive38]

All good fortune comes in waves. Sometimes we are not on a crest of good fortune. So in those times we are miserable, unlucky.
It is stated that "On such a full sea we are now afloat." In other words, take advantage of the good times that we are experiencing. They will not last.

That is how I read it. I did pass literature with ease, so I think I'm pretty close. (Just don't ask about my spelling.)

[bleedingbeauty]

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

This means that there are oportunities in life, which is what he meant by the tide and flood. For example I want to go to medical school and I may have that opportunity.

If this opportunity were ignored or "omitted" then I would miss out on "the voyage of my life"; a great challenge and chance to show what I'm made of and what I'm meant to become.

"On such a full sea we are now afloat" means that I would have seized that opportunity and now must follow the "current" or journey wherever it leads me or else "lose my ventures", which means that all the work I would have done would be for nothing.

[bunny]

Just about everything Ceaser says is about war--he was a great Roman Emperor and made his empire by the great ebb and flow of war. This quote he is basically saying to take oppurtunity when you can--otherwise you may regret passing up a chance to further your fortune.

Fancy way of saying--"Strike while the iron is hot!"