Mastering Mindfulness: Yoda Quotes On Patience

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Are you also an impatient Star Wars fan or Padawan? If so, you need some wise words of wisdom from Yoda to help you be more patient.

Here are the best quotes from the grand Jedi master Yoda. Listen and learn valuable lessons from the greatest teacher in the original trilogy:

“Always with you what cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say? You must unlearn what you have learned. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.” — The Empire Strikes Back

Perhaps one of the most famous lines Yoda has ever said, this quote was directed at Luke Skywalker during his training sessions on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back.

Luke starts his training as an extremely impatient student, constantly wanting to learn the “cooler” parts of the force. When forced to do the mundane work that he must do to reach his full potential, he says that he will try.

Yoda then responds with a small speech about the importance of the training and drops one of the best quotes he has ever said, “No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Trying leaves the possibility of failure, and in the case of Luke Skywalker, there was no room for failure, as Luke’s failure would result in Darth Vader and Palpatine holding their power for even longer. 

Luke has to learn how to be patient and undergo the boring parts of training to gain the abilities he needs to bring down The Empire for the Rebels. We see him grow as a person throughout The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, becoming much more patient than the flighty, headstrong teen he started as.

“Much to learn, you still have.” — Attack of the Clones

One of the Dark Side’s biggest downfalls is their impatience, which leads them to overestimate their abilities even when they may lack the capabilities to defeat their opponent.

In Attack of the Clones, the second Star Wars film set during the Clone Wars, Yoda drops this absolute beast of a line during a duel with Count Dooku, the dark lord of the Sith.

Dooku believes that he has become far more powerful than Yoda could ever be and tries to force lightning on Yoda, only for him to be deflected away.

Yoda then tells him, “Much to learn, you still have,” and then humbles Dooku in a lightsaber fight.

Dooku quickly realizes he’s beaten and runs with his tail between his legs.

See what the different colors of lightsabers mean.

“Decide you must how to serve them best. If you leave now, help them you could, but you will destroy all for which they have fought and suffered.” — The Empire Strikes Back

When Luke learns that his friends are in danger and have been captured, he faces one of the hardest choices he has ever made.

He can stay with Yoda, trust in the Force, and be patient, or rush off unprepared and try to save his friends while potentially dooming the entire galaxy to endless domination by The Empire.

Here, Yoda is saying that yes, Luke could give in to his despair and impatience and save his friends, but everything they have been working towards would be for nothing. He has to overcome his fear of loss if he is to become greater than his father, Anakin, who gave in to his fear.

It’s a valuable lesson that sometimes when faced with a hard choice, you must remain patient and trust that everything will work out in the end (trust the process), as failing to do so could result in more pain. The easy path is not always the best in many scenarios, and patience can help you stay on the path you need to. 

Did Yoda say, “Patience, my young Padawan?”

Fun fact: Yoda never said, “Patience, my young Padawan.”

Because of an internet meme, many people – even Star Wars fans – attribute this line to Yoda. And while it sounds like something that the wise Jedi Master would say, he never actually did, and no one in the films ever said it.

“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away…to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.” — The Empire Strikes Back

One of the most important tenets of the Jedi Way is staying mindful and in the present moment, which requires an insane amount of patience. It is so easy to get trapped in an endless spiral of worrying about the future, of flitting back and forth between things and places in a desperate attempt to get where you think you should be, but that isn’t what you want.

Luke embodies this impatience in the first movie when he is a teen on a mostly barren planet, desperate to get out, go on a new adventure, and become a great warrior. However, that path is a dark one. 

Yoda has watched Luke grow up through the Force his whole life, and he knows that Luke lacks the patience necessary to become a Jedi master. Luke still has a lot of impatience during his training on Dagobah, so Yoda thinks it’s time to knock some sense into the Padawan.

This quote admonishes Luke and reminds him that patience is one of the most important skills a Jedi can have.

“I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.” — The Empire Strikes Back

When Yoda speaks to Obi-Wan via the Force about Young Skywalker, he says, “I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.” Obi-Wan replies, “He will learn patience.”

In this scene, we can see that Yoda does not fully believe in Luke and doubts his ability to learn the patience required to become one of the best Jedi Knights.

Luckily, has one of his previous students of the Force and old friends to remind him that patience is something a person can learn.

Is even Master Yoda being a bit impatient with Luke here? Hmm?

“Patience! For the Jedi it is time to eat as well. Mmm?” — The Empire Strikes Back

During the very first interaction that Yoda and Luke have on the planet Dagobah, Luke is eating the stew that Yoda has made and is asking when he will be taken to see the legendary Jedi Master Yoda because he has no idea that the creature he is currently speaking with is Yoda.

Yoda responds with, “Patience! For the Jedi it is time to eat as well. Mmm?”

It’s a reminder that everyone has to eat. When it is time to eat, it is best to focus on eating and be mindful of the moment. Having the patience to eat and enjoy your meal can go a long way in improving one’s mental health. 

“Patience! Soon you will be with him.” — The Empire Strikes Back

This is yet another quote from the first interaction between Luke and Yoda. This quote is directed at Luke when he asks for the millionth time when he will be taken to see Yoda.

At this point, Yoda starts to lose patience with the young man and responds, “Patience! Soon you will be with him.”

This quote especially encapsulates that Yoda is testing Luke when he first lands on Dagobah to see how patient he is and how long he is willing to wait to meet Yoda, as patience is a key part of a Jedi’s strength.

Conclusion

Yoda is easily one of the most beloved characters and possibly the most iconic character from the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas, even with his limited screen time in the original movies.

He is one of the wisest characters in the franchise because, after hundreds of years of living, he has seen almost everything the world has to offer and can thus help guide the others on the path to defeating the Dark Side of the Force.

However, as we can see, Yoda sometimes gets impatient with impatient students.

Up Next: Famous Darth Vader Quotes (From Slave To Sith)

1 thought on “Mastering Mindfulness: Yoda Quotes On Patience”

  1. Wonderful web site. Lots of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks to your effort!

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