"Through loyalty to the past, our mind refuses to realize that tomorrow's joy is possible only if today's makes way for it; that each wave owes the beauty of its line only to the withdrawal of the preceding one"

This quote by Andre Gide talks to the idea that we typically hold on to the past, contradicting that the future can bring pleasure. We are so loyal to the past that we forget that the future can bring something brand-new and amazing. Gide is suggesting that we should release the past in order to make way for the future. He is saying that the appeal of the future is only possible if we let go of the past. He is likewise suggesting that each wave of the future is only possible since of the withdrawal of the preceding one. In other words, we should release the past in order to make way for the future. Gide is motivating us to embrace the future and release the past in order to experience the delight that it can bring.