If you ever went to the beach as a child you’ll know what happens to sandcastles when the tide comes in.

You’ve built this fantastic castle and then the tide starts to creep in. What to do? You slap a retaining wall around your castle. You frantically dig trenches to divert the water. But it’s all to no avail. The tide is a power that cannot be stopped and finally your beautiful castle is gone. No trace remains.
Here are some proverbs and sayings about the tide that spell out some important life lesson.
Lesson #1: Time and tide wait for no-one
This English proverb tells us to work with time and tide, not against it. So often in life we try to hold out against the tide. We want the summer to last longer. We don’t want to age. We cling to a relationship or friendship that has lost its substance. We fall sick and are in denial about our illness. It’s important to be in harmony with time, with seasons, with the tides of our life.
Lesson #2: There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
This saying is from “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare. It carries on as follows: Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. The image the saying conveys is of sailing ships waiting to leave the harbour. As all sailors know, tide and wind are important factors in launching your vessel, and if you miss the right time to leave, you may have to wait a long time.

Actually, in my experience, the ‘right’ time never comes again. Once the moment’s gone – the opportunity also disappears.
Lesson #3: A rising tide lifts all boats
This saying originates from the United States.
A while ago I told this story in my account of Why Leo Babauta of Zen Habits Gave Me His Blog:

Some time ago I visited a friend who lives in a remote settlement by the sea. I wanted to use her dinghy and tried to drag it down to the water. I shoved, pulled, and grunted – the darn thing just wouldn’t move!
A neighbor was watching with hands on hips, amused by the antics of a landlubber. “Hey!” I called out, “Lend me a hand, please!” He nodded slowly, grinning. “Yeah,” he said , “I’ll help you – but only after we’ve had a cup of tea.”

By the time we’d finished a cup of tea and he’d told me all about his liver problems and his love-life, a couple of hours had passed. When we got back to the dinghy, the tide had come in and the boat was already half afloat. I was able to launch it with one hand. Easy!
Lesson #4The tide keeps its course.

When you stand on a beach and watch the water coming in, you get a sense of the inexorable nature of the tide. This is what this English saying reminds us of. I take this to be a reminder that we need to stay our chosen course in life, without veering off or luffing the sails.
Lesson #5:The tide never goes out so far but it always comes in again
This is a comforting proverb. So often we give up, just before the tide of fortune turns. The stories of successful show that it’s important to keep on going – beyond what seems reasonable.
Lesson #6: Good luck comes in slender currents, misfortune in a rolling wave.
This Irish proverb mirrors the hard times Ireland has been through in the past. Just think of the famines in Ireland that made so many people emigrate to the United States.
Lesson #7: At high tide fish eat ants; at low tide ants eat fish.
This Thai proverb is mysterious. I’m not quite sure about its meaning. Maybe you could give us your interpretation in the comments?
Lesson #8: Give wind and tide a chance to change.
This is a saying by Richard E. Byrd. I think it’s a very useful lesson. My mother used to give me advice that has a similar meaning. She said, “Don’t dig out a plant to see if its roots are growing.” When we try to effect a change, we have to be patient. It sometimes takes a while for a change of course to show.
Lesson #9: The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.
This quote is from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I’ve noticed that when I try to change something major in my life, there is a difficult point. And that’s when you can see clearly what needs to be changed – but it seems impossible. Courage and faith are at low ebb at such a moment. But, when you look back, it’s exactly that low moment that marked the beginning of change!

Finally here is a deeply moving Argentine song about the tide that Janice Hunter of Sharing the Journey alerted me to. It’s called Alfonsina and the Sea and is sung in the YouTube video by famous singer Mercedes Sosa. (It’s with English undertitles).
Hold Fast or Let Go? 9 Lessons from the Tide
By Mary Jaksch
from Goodlife Zen