In a scene from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are discussing the final phase of their civil war. Cassius has been urging that they group their forces and take advantage of a secure location to catch their breath. Brutus, however, advocates heading off the enemy before it can recruit more men. "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," says Brutus. According to eNotes.com, what Brutus is saying is that power is a force that ebbs and flows in time, and one must "go with the flow". Waiting around only allows your power to pass its crest and begin to ebb. If the opportunity is missed you'll find yourself stranded in miserable shallows. President Cyril Ramaphosa referenced this masterpiece scene in his keynote address at this year's Black Umbr...
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