“No, Try Not”

The Empire Strikes Back

Despite being set in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars teaches us a lot that we can apply to our everyday lives.

I remember flicking through an annual planner that was provided to me in school, as I embarked on year one of secondary education. At the bottom of each page was an inspirational quote or factoid from individuals of note throughout history – fuel to spur us on to become the kind of students that make a school’s performance spreadsheet look good.

All of your favourites were accounted for; Winston Churchill, Aristotle, Martin Luther King and then there was also an entry from Jedi Master Yoda.

He may be a small, green and – above all – fictional character, but some of the lines delivered by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back are among the best motivational quotes to fill any inspiring book. And the vast majority of them are delivered within a five minute spell.

Luke Skywalker has arrived on Dagobah, seeking an education in how to master the Jedi arts. Yoda was sceptical of Luke’s age, fear and mentality, arguing with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s force ghost as to whether Luke should be trained at all.

And when the wisest of all the Jedi has concerns, you better be worried. For a while it seemed as though Yoda’s doubts were justified as the moisture farmer from Tatooine struggled to show the patience, focus and belief required to navigate the force. Lifting rocks is one thing, but when Yoda suggests that Luke should lift his X-Wing out of the lake, the aspiring Jedi’s doubts creep in.

Luke says “I’ll try,” Yoda snaps; “No, try not. Do, or do not, there is no try.” And that, folks, is the Star Wars quote that made the cut for the annual school planner. Yoda meeting the mainstream audience.

I’m not even sure that’s the best quote in the scene either. After failing to lift the ship, Yoda’s motivational speech to Luke includes; “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” That’s before giving the best definition of the force we’d seen to date and proclaiming those that live in the universe to be “luminous beings” bound together by the force.

It’s the brilliant dialogue written by Lawrence Kasdan that steals this scene. Sure, when Yoda eventually lifts the X-Wing and John Williams’ score draws us in, it’s an iconic Star Wars visual. But even then, it’s the dialogue immediately after that strikes a chord.

Luke: “I don’t believe it.”
Yoda: “That is why you fail.”

I tell you something – Yoda could have made a lot of money in the therapy game post Order 66. Although, footfall on Dagobah might have been a problem…