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Old 10-19-2008, 04:23 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Try not. Do, or do not.

"Master, moving stones around is one thing, but moving a ship is entirely different"
Only different in your mind.
OK, I'll give it a try...
No, try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." (Star Wars)

Letting the philosophy of the movie aside (or not), what do you think is the meaning of the last phrase? Does it mean anything more than "you must believe you will succeed"? The way I understand its message is that if you fail in doing something, the reason for your failure is that you "tried", and thus, you didn't "do", as if trying is the opposite of doing or is the equivalent of not succeeding.
How exactly can you make sure you are not trying but you are really doing?

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Old 10-19-2008, 04:28 PM   #2 (permalink)
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I think by saying that you'll give it a "try", you invite uncertainty. Either you succeed or you fail. There's no middle ground, so don't think like there is one. If you "try" and fail, it creates the sense that you didn't go at it with full cylinders. But if you "do not", at least you attempted it with all of your strength.

That's what I think it means, anyway. I'm sure there are Star Wars fans here who can correct me
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Old 10-19-2008, 04:44 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Willard View Post
I'm sure there are Star Wars fans here who can correct me
I'm not interested in it strictly as a Star Wars thing, but as a principle (weather it is a tangible one and in what way?).
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Old 10-19-2008, 06:09 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Default Try to get out of that chair...

A teacher of mine once made the point by asking me to "try to get out of that chair" that I was sitting in. When I stood up, she said, "no, I asked you to try to get out of the chair, not to actually get out of it." I hesitated for a few minutes, sitting and then almost starting to get up and then sitting again. "See?" she said. "Trying is not doing. If you're going to do something, then do it..."

Ah, I feel inspired now. Thanks for the thread!
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Old 10-19-2008, 06:15 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Great thread, I have thought about this myself.

I think it means that, in the context of the rest of the speech, you have to forget that you're limited, or that there is a chance you can fail.

You have to DO it. Doing something does not mean trying, you can't DO and fail, the very act of DOING is succeeding.
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Old 10-19-2008, 06:56 PM   #6 (permalink)
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I guess it's easier to do than to rationally understand...
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Old 10-19-2008, 07:05 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Oh, Yoda.

This quote from him is great for challenging your hesitation and mediocrity.

For maximum effect it should be said by a friend.
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Old 10-19-2008, 07:34 PM   #8 (permalink)
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I like what cinnabar said. I'm going to expand on it.

Try is a useless word. It doesn't mean anything. That's what Yoda meant by "There is no try." To try is to attempt, but you can't really try and do anything. There's only actions you have taken and actions you haven't taken. You can aim at a goal, take various actions and fail to reach the goal. You can even attempt actions outside of your capability, but in the end, you end up with results based apon actions you can perform.

The act of trying is completely bogus. You can't try, you can only do, or not do. You act, and you either succeed of fail, but in both cases you acted.

"Going to try" is even worse. When? How? Why? Are you going to succeed or are you going to fail? It's a complete cop out.

The reason why people say they tried, is because it looks good, ie: you made an attempt, even though you still didn't get the results. But in the end, it's not the attempt you want, it's the results of successful actions. That's what stops most people, they stop at the trying, not at the success.
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Old 10-20-2008, 03:36 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Good thread over here. When we say try, we add in a space where we can fall back on and thus leading to efforts that are not 100% committed. If we say we will do something or will not, there is no "hesitation" area and thus we are more likely to do something. What a great difference between the words we choose to speak.

Cheers
Vincent
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Old 10-20-2008, 03:57 AM   #10 (permalink)
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I believe the word Try is actually a pre-admission of defeat.
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Old 05-23-2009, 01:36 AM   #11 (permalink)
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here's the movie scene...

YouTube - Yoda - TRY NOT

I had just post it in the Steve board of beliefs thread...

It's all about beliefs... When you're really committed you think "I'm gonna do this" not "I'm gonna try to do this"... You put yourself in a mindset that makes you think it's more possible, or should I say it becames more possible cause you have that mindset.

At the end Luke says "I can't believe it", after Yoda DOES it.
Then Yoda says "That's what you failed"

Also is great when Yoda says "You must unlearn what you want have learnt"
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Old 05-23-2009, 02:12 PM   #12 (permalink)
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really inspiring stuff.

definitely the mentality of trying becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

delusional or not, believing that i'll do well at whatever i do makes me do better than if i didn't have that belief.

coolness
alex
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