"Do or do not; there is no try."

Every proud sic-fi nerd, such as myself, can proudly say that he has heard these sage words at least once in his geeky exploits. For those who are curious as to the source of this quote, these words were spoken by Yoda himself in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on the distant planet of Dagobah, where Luke Skywalker ventures in search of a wise mentor who will guide him in the ways of the Force. Though Yoda is nothing of the "wise mentor" Luke envisions (he is rather disappointed upon first meeting Yoda who, with his jovial antics and mirthful merriment, does not quite seem to fit this image), he soon proves to Luke one of the many valuable lessons in life. After a brutal Jedi training routine, Luke is surprised to find that his fighter—his only means of transport—has sunk into one of the numerous swampy lagoons characteristic of Dagobah's ecosystem. He attempts to life the fighter using the Force, but after only partially trying to do so, he quits, dismissing the task as "impossible" and that he "tried." Yoda then retorts with the statement which I have decided to write this entire blog about: "Do or do not; there is no try." Discouraged, Luke resolves to wallow in self-pity; Yoda, on the contrary, is not so quick to give up all hope. In his usual resolved but potent style, Yoda lifts the fighter out of the swampy mire using the Force and places it next to Luke.