EXPLAINED: “Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try”

You hear it everywhere. "Do or do not, there is no try". Sports coaches, bosses, parents, and teachers, have all heard Yoda's famous line from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. And we've also all seen the confused reaction in the eyes of children when they're told "there is no try". Yoda is training Luke Skytalker and wants him to change his mindset about what is possible with the Force. He also wants Luke to truly commit to this task. In this video from Geeky Stoics, Riley Blanton breaks down Yoda's popular quote and explains how you can put it to work in your own life.
Chapters
0:33 Intro
2:00 Context matters
3:08 Understanding what you control
4:55 The cost of your fear of failure
6:11 What does it mean to “try”?
7:12 You’re setting yourself up for failure
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Пікірлер: 88

  • @StephenKentMedia
    @StephenKentMedia6 ай бұрын

    This man went to an ACTUAL swamp, Props

  • @gustymaat7011

    @gustymaat7011

    6 ай бұрын

    You live in Georgia or Florida... that's as easy as going anywhere

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    @@gustymaat7011hey now, two hour drive for a YT video is no small thing 😂

  • @voxorox
    @voxorox6 ай бұрын

    I remember seeing Empire as a kid (it was new, and I'm now an old fart) and the entire sequence of Yoda training Luke was profound to me. I took it all to heart and it changed me, even though I didn't realize it at the time. The "Do or do not" line was never ambiguous to me. The meaning was always clear.

  • @rileyblanton

    @rileyblanton

    6 ай бұрын

    Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.

  • @andrewmah2962

    @andrewmah2962

    4 ай бұрын

    I was born in 1986, the original trilogy was already done by then. I grew up watching the original trilogy on VHS Tape.

  • @ciscoponch67
    @ciscoponch676 ай бұрын

    If your mind is in the state of try...you'll never want to finish the race, you'll get there when you feel like it. The secret word is discipline. 😮

  • @rileyblanton

    @rileyblanton

    6 ай бұрын

    💯

  • @Matthewwithers33
    @Matthewwithers336 ай бұрын

    He’s basically saying “either believe you can or believe you can’t. Over the past year or so I’ve been trying to keep that mindset that I can do things I normally felt impossible and I’ve been able to achieve them, last year I ran my first ever 5k and did five of them as the year went on and now this year I e set my sights on a 10k, and I believe in my self that I can do it so I know I will

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    that's awesome!!! you can and will do it

  • @soralantern3073
    @soralantern30735 ай бұрын

    Yoda also explained how to tap into the Strength, when he said, "You must Feel the Force around you! The Force flows in All things, and through all things. Beings of Light we are, not this Crude Matter. Size doesn't matter. Judge me by my Size, do you?"

  • @MRKNIGHT
    @MRKNIGHT6 ай бұрын

    One of my favorite quotes of all time! It’s very similar to Mr. Miyagi’s karate do, ok, karate no do, ok, karate guess so road / grape story. If you are going to do something, put all you have into the effort.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Absolutely! I've experienced this in rock climbing with difficult reaches. If you hedge and think "maybe I can get it"...you won't haha. Go for it like you know you can. - Stephen

  • @artstudent1255
    @artstudent12556 ай бұрын

    This video needs so many more views. Great way to explain it!

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Pass it on to a friend or two, that will help! =) Thanks so much

  • @melkent5182
    @melkent51826 ай бұрын

    Love the dedication to the swamp 😂

  • @damienblauwald
    @damienblauwald6 ай бұрын

    Just found your channel. I had been thinking about this Yoda line only a few weeks ago and was struck by the idea that I had been viewing the line incorrectly all this time. The comment is not about choosing to do a thing or not to do a thing. The idea is do the thing. As you say, commit to whatever you are putting your intent toward. Keep pushing toward that goal. Exhaust all ideas. Eventually, you succeed or you fail, for lack of skill, time, money, resources, or whatever. I feel that is what Yoda is saying. Do (proceed until success) or do not (eventually that task is not accomplished). There is no try (because try gives your mind an out if thigs seem to get difficult). I have subscribed and have high hopes for your content. I already enjoyed this one. Much success to you.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Welcome home!

  • @justinminichelli4501
    @justinminichelli45016 ай бұрын

    These videos are important! Keep putting out quality videos like this, and the subscribers/followers will come. Beautiful message. Inspiring content! May the Force be with you, brother. 🙏🙌

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    And with YOU! We know there's a hunger out there to refocus on why we love Star Wars, and a little less on all the things going on with it that drive us crazy. Thank you for the comment. And if you want more head over to www.geekystoics.com for the free weekly newsletter. That writing usually is what we base our videos off of.

  • @rileyblanton

    @rileyblanton

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks Justin!

  • @Seamannon
    @Seamannon6 ай бұрын

    If you strongly believe that you can do something, go for it! If you don't believe you can do it, move on to something else that you can believe. Any amount of resistance, like doubts about whether something is even possible, or insecurities about your personal limitations will hold you back and can lead to failure, so it's a waste of time and energy to focus on something you already decided "can't be done" or "is out of reach for me". That was my interpretation of that quote since I first saw the movie. I'm glad there are more people with similar views on the internet. It was difficult to find someone irl who wouldn't just dismiss it as some meaningless rambling of a quirky character that is made to be a confusing mascot.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    100 percent. Imagine leaping over a chasm but hesitating before your feet leave the cliff. You lose momentum, you won't make it. But if you believe in your heart of hearts that this leap was possible and that you can do it, well...you're better off.

  • @Seamannon

    @Seamannon

    6 ай бұрын

    @@GeekyStoics exactly! You're better off choosing a path for yourself carefully, because there"s so many other things you could do instead, but once you've decided that you want to pursue something and it feels right to you, go all in, there's no point in questioning the decision every step on the way, there's no halfassing your way to success. If you get all the way through your trials, you may end up a hero and if you die before getting there, then you're still someone who did all you possibly could to make it work, because it was important to you - that's the risk a hero has to take. Everything in life has its risks and people usually regret their lives when they didn't take all the risks they could on the way that was most meaningful to them. People who take risks and crash, have the advantage of a clear concience, a sense of meaning in their lives and the wisdom of their experience, which can be used for another pursuit or shared with the world to spare others from suffering. "I gave all I had to make the world a little bit better, but it didn't work out as planned, it was still worth a try, I have no regrets" vs. "Maybe I could have done it if I was more commited to the task and kept going... I'll never know the possibilities I missed out on."

  • @sevenoh70
    @sevenoh706 ай бұрын

    A version of the quote originally appears in Faster Pussycat Kill Kill! where Tura Satana says "I never try anything. I just do it."

  • @saveritas731
    @saveritas7316 ай бұрын

    The quote/scene is a great life lesson and an extension of the really shitty way Yoda goes about trying to teach Luke: "Hi, last hope for the Galaxy and my monastic order. Welcome to this swamp you have crash landed in. I'm going to alienate you by trying to steal your food and possessions in front of you, bait you with the promise of reaching the person you're trying to reach to test you when you've already been sent by my colleague and my only alternative is your sister who is already more of political specialist, berate you for getting frustrated and for not being present moment oriented when you've gone your entire life without mindfulness discipline, teach you that the Dark Side is nothing more than short cuts when the Dark Lord of the Sith was so patient that he managed to convince the entire galaxy into voluntarily agreeing to servitude to a fascist military police state, give you no specifics about the Jedi and Sith and berate you for having lots of questions, berate you for lacking self-confidence to lift an entire space ship with your mind, tell you nothing about your parentage, and forbid you to save your loved ones without giving any recent historical context as to why you shouldn't and rely on vague hints."

  • @soralantern3073
    @soralantern30735 ай бұрын

    So too, Obi-Wan Kenobi shows the truth of a poor outlook when it comes to Failure, saying, " Only a Sith deals in Absolutes."

  • @histguy101
    @histguy1016 ай бұрын

    It just means give it 100%, do it with confidence, give it your all, have faith! Who would say it doesnt make sense?! It's either people just want to argue about things, or there's a lot of people lacking common sense, or a bit of both

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Kids haha, always kids. Seen a lot of offense taken in different contexts at the suggestion “trying” with an exasperated eye roll isnt enough if your goal is to succeed. - Stephen

  • @HunterRex
    @HunterRex6 ай бұрын

    This reminds me of Nike’s “Just do it,” which I tell myself often to do.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    yeah...it really is that simple. commit! - Stephen

  • @DanteTaylor
    @DanteTaylor6 ай бұрын

    My dude, this one goes right up on my favorite videos on YT. Hope you can get the views you deserve! This is an awesome work.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    that's very kind, thank you @dantetaylor - you can help us with that by sharing the video somewhere or dropping it into a Reddit or something. We appreciate it greatly!

  • @Paula-wq6pw
    @Paula-wq6pwАй бұрын

    Thanks. I got here because my mysticism suggested I should add a daily refutation of one English word and today's was "try/". I looked up the etymology first, but I recalled my former tai chi teacher, Dr Don Davis, quoting Ben Lo, his teacher, saying this. I had 't known about the movie's inclusion of it. But thanks.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    Ай бұрын

    We're happy to have you!

  • @rgaleny
    @rgaleny6 ай бұрын

    FOCUS, DON'T OVER ANALIZE. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND DO IT.

  • @kellyrk2007
    @kellyrk20076 ай бұрын

    Yes, Yoda meant 'Be Serious!"

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    100%

  • @Dreamfox-df6bg
    @Dreamfox-df6bg6 ай бұрын

    You could also say that as long as you keep trying, you haven't failed, because you belief in the eventual success. How do we learn to walk? We fall down seven times and stand up eight. Learning is a process. You try until you succeed. That is mirrored in Star Wars: Rebels when Kanan Jarrus understands what Yoda meant and says to Ezra: "I will not try to teach you to be a Jedi. I will teach you to be a Jedi."

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    So true, love the Rebels reference!

  • @bennycaustic5102
    @bennycaustic51026 ай бұрын

    There are a lot of situations where stuff is out of your control. But there are also a lot of issues that are INSIDE your control. Say you don't like your body and want to workout. That's something you entirely control. Everyone can workout and eat better regardless of their situation in life. In that case, it's “Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try” Their is no "trying" it's either you do it, or you don't

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Definitely. Especially when you consider the preconceptions in your mind! -Riley

  • @MrMuel1205
    @MrMuel12056 ай бұрын

    Great video, very insightful.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it! -Riley

  • @tomasromeo10
    @tomasromeo106 ай бұрын

    Great video! I love the idea of this channel!

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Glad to hear it!

  • @lisaputsky7801
    @lisaputsky78015 ай бұрын

    Great presentation keep up the good work.

  • @adamwells9352
    @adamwells93526 ай бұрын

    Although I don't disagree on any particular point, I think that Yoda's advice can only really be understood with reference to the Tao. (And I'm being serious here, even if it sounds like I'm not.) In this context, the saying _also_, although not exclusively, is about the interaction between effort and result, and is a call to a particular understanding of the self.

  • @Leondragon06
    @Leondragon066 ай бұрын

    I did not think about this when playing Force Unleashed but they made it feel like quite different using the force to move Star Destroyer rather than just moving a Storm Trooper but IDK maybe that is just gameplay or because it was first time & thus a struggle but after it would not be so different.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Yeah its a thing that you find inconsistencies across different parts of canon and EU. There are cases of it being like an act of physical exertion, but it should be the case that with the Force there’s no difference. Weight is nothing. Its all a matter of your ability dispense with doubt - Stephen

  • @krispalermo8133

    @krispalermo8133

    6 ай бұрын

    @@GeekyStoics .. ? .. Weight is nothing ... get to personal doubt later with regards to gravity. Maori haka dance. Grandmom played horseshoes with car tires, grandpa and my parents ( mom, her sister, my aunts, their girlfriends) with truck tires. Lazy and weakness was not tolerated. My grandparents were cool, my mom and her second husband were d*cks. German's with anger issues and mean anger drunks. As for my Dutch/Sicilian side of the family. We would lick the blood from our mouth and spit blood into your face laughing playing football wrestling. Always had to maintain self-control in school. Mix martial arts training of Aikido jujitsu, Karate, Shaolin and a few others. Movie " 36 Cambers of Shaolin," or also known as Master Killer. Grew up doing all of that. You look like you are in shape, put two 50lb truck tires on each of your arms and one around your neck. Balance act, and you contest for standing still in pose, or subtle movement to keep your arms up with elbows above your lower ribs. Or keep your elbows and forearms covering your ribs. Now do so with three tires on each arm. Without deep breathing exercises such as throat singing in bass or the four elemental principles, good luck on keeping your blood oxygenized for endurance. At 40years old I could hold lift three tires on each arm, one hanging front and back with someone balance another on my shoulders. Thats 450lbs on a 6ft 200lb frame. With a little foot stomp dance chanting at low deep .. loud .. volume for 3minutes till I had to drop the tires on my arms to the ground. My brother is a couple of inches taller than me and a roofer, his frame makes me look thin standing side by side. We played high school football with our twenty teenage cousin. We were nightmares on line guard. Most of my lower back problems came from slipping on dry dusty pavement or wet pavement getting into my car over the years. 2.) Electricity and Plasma lamps, playing with static electricity then animal fences along with cattle prods. Tasers are really fun, love the look on other people faces when you don't react the way they think the equipment is meant to work. b.) All that none sense of Ancient Aliens with their talk on brain waves during deep meditation connecting to .. higher power or knowledge. Yeah the brain does some funny thing under pain or chanting. Now " DeW " martial arts Ki/Chi voice exercises touching a low volt wire. While dance wearing sandbags. For about $300 you can get an electric fence wire/ plastic strip and a cattle prod to play with. " Fear is the Mind killer." 3.) Ask me what is true mastery of Aikido and I will tell you the funny.

  • @krispalermo8133

    @krispalermo8133

    6 ай бұрын

    Leo, Force Unleased took WotC 3.5e Star Wars to a whole new level of table top game play. The multiclass over the top skill rank totals, the dice results .. My total ranking of Force Lightning was greater than the Emperor's, .. and all my d6 force dice and d20 rolled up as 1s. I was soo screwed. Never make fun of Leia. Force Choke can be used untrained with a simple ability score int check roll. The results are terrifying when Leia is angry..

  • @dgrhm08
    @dgrhm086 ай бұрын

    Watching this reminded me of what a lost opportunity Last Jedi was. "It's all about lifting rocks, tee hee."

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Just playing a little devil's advocate. The quote from the film from Luke is “The Force Is Not A Power You Have. It’s Not About Lifting Rocks. It’s The Energy Between All Things, A Tension, A Balance, That Binds The Universe Together." The Force provides to those open to it in their time of need. Rey, Luke, and Anakin. -Riley

  • @TheLEGOZora
    @TheLEGOZora6 ай бұрын

    Really really nice video bro

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @JeraWolfe
    @JeraWolfe6 ай бұрын

    I liked, I subscribed, and I am commenting because that summed up everything that was important and foundational in Star Wars for me right there. Thank you for making this. Here's some comment to help the algorithm realize your vids need to be shared. May the Force be with you, and be the best you. Thank you.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    AND WITH YOU! We appreciate that so much. This is what Star Wars is all about. We recite its best quotes to our kids and friends for a reason. Stick with us and there will be more stuff like this. ALSO you can hear from us weekly in the newsletter at www.geekystoics.com - Stephen

  • @DynastiesAndDivisions
    @DynastiesAndDivisions2 ай бұрын

    Either execute or don’t, it’s that easy

  • @choochcuh
    @choochcuh6 ай бұрын

    Good video man

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @RealSensationalBeing
    @RealSensationalBeing6 ай бұрын

    Best of luck to your channel

  • @elichilton7031
    @elichilton70316 ай бұрын

    And also with you

  • @MrGoku-ig7hi
    @MrGoku-ig7hi6 ай бұрын

    It's quite clear that Luke is not a ♌. Are mantra is "I will"!

  • @thehackofalltrades1630
    @thehackofalltrades16305 ай бұрын

    Good Video - You got a new Sub

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks! -Riley

  • @user-gw4oz1rk3i
    @user-gw4oz1rk3i4 ай бұрын

    Maybe hes also Living fully in the present. In the present, there is no try, there are just you, youre environment, and what you do in that envireonment. Try or attempt means we dont know if we Will succed or fail, but thats in the future, rhigt here and now, there is only what you are currently doing, and what you are not currently doing!

  • @KM-dk5gn
    @KM-dk5gn6 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing how you are new to the "KZread Game", you inspired me to subscribe. I am just one subscribe but hopefully it will help. Great video. I try to apply the philosophy of Yoda's "Do or do not, there is no try" quote to my life. (I realize the irony of me saying that I try to apply it now ha ha). To me, it suggests that nothing is impossible if we overcome our doubt and have confidence that we can do it.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the sub! Never doubt! -Riley

  • @DenBlackwolf
    @DenBlackwolf6 ай бұрын

    Just commenting to show love.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    We appreciate it!

  • @Samrules888
    @Samrules8886 ай бұрын

    using the force should be a part of you. as natural as speaking or walking or breathing. if ezra bridger the galaxy's worst jedi could get it then its pretty self explanatory

  • @Texan8505
    @Texan85056 ай бұрын

    I've always believed it means you either dont do it or you do do it, and the word trying means nothing.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    💯 it’s all about commitment -Riley

  • @MiniMotoAlliance
    @MiniMotoAlliance6 ай бұрын

    This didn't need an 8-minute video.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    kzread.info/dash/bejne/oouYxpiYitu-aMY.htmlsi=uSq1vimNrt1zBWZ3

  • @JamesB21a
    @JamesB21a6 ай бұрын

    I'll let Cracked website respond best: "Do, or do not. There is no try." Nonsensical lines like that one make Yoda the Yogi Berra of the galaxy. He seems to have picked up an incorrect definition of the word "try" at whatever community college he attended. You cannot do without trying first. It is impossible. If he'd said "get drunk, or do not, there is no drinking" it would have made as much sense.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    Soooo what’d you think of the video?

  • @krispalermo8133

    @krispalermo8133

    6 ай бұрын

    @@GeekyStoics I like the video.

  • @krispalermo8133

    @krispalermo8133

    6 ай бұрын

    Much love, I Must remember this.

  • @thomasheyart7033
    @thomasheyart70335 ай бұрын

    OK, I'm subscriber 708

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    5 ай бұрын

    Ayyy

  • @rileyblanton
    @rileyblanton6 ай бұрын

    There is no try.

  • @LastBastian
    @LastBastian6 ай бұрын

    Feel good inspirational bumper sticker nonsense. ...but people seem to love that kind of stuff.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    woot woot

  • @kevinkeener
    @kevinkeener6 ай бұрын

    It's simple: in order for someone to use the Force, you need 100% resolve and faith. "Try" allows room for doubt or acceptance of failure, which won't work. Sorry if this was the conclusion; I haven't finished watching yet.

  • @GeekyStoics

    @GeekyStoics

    6 ай бұрын

    You’re so right! Belief is easier for some than others.