If you were a youngster when you first watched Star Wars, you definitely would have got the impression that Yoda was wise, but you may not have realized that quotes from Yoda were opening the door to personal development and spirituality. Our little green friend has a lot of life lessons to share, and even with his rather odd syntax, he distills these lessons into short and memorable sayings. Let’s examine some of the quotes from Yoda and understand what he was telling us.
1 Fear
One of the most important quotes from Yoda to Luke Skywalker is his warning about fear. Yoda may be referring to the Dark Side of the Force but this warning is relevant to all of us. How many times in your life has fear held you back? How many times will it hold you back in the future? There are plenty of times where not saying something, not speaking up or not taking an action through fear can give rise to unpleasant consequences. Be bold and confront your fears.
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2 Failure
This is such a simple message. In his role as Jedi Master to Luke Skywalker, Yoda is succinct and straight to the point. If you don’t have faith in yourself, if you don’t believe in your goal, you will fail to achieve. Too many of us give up at the first obstacle. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is self belief. Make clear choices and put power behind those choices.
3 Judgment
Essentially, this is Yoda’s way of saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Luke went looking for a Jedi Master expecting a person of stature equal to his power. He found a diminutive, wrinkly green thing wracked by age. He was immediately beset with doubt – simply on Yoda’s appearance. Lesson learned, my friends, lesson learned.
4 Commitment
This is the most famous of Yoda’s quotes and has come to stand as the modern mantra for commitment. I guess it’s a bit like, “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” It is pointless doing something only half-heartedly. Choose your goals and go for them – all out.
5 Adapting
Yoda is talking not just about being adaptive to change, going in a new direction or trying something new, but also about open-mindedness. Being intransigent, being right and refusing to see a different point of view isn’t always appropriate. Stubbornness has its place but if it isn’t getting you anywhere or it is preventing you reaching a goal, it’s time to find a new approach or a change of attitude – even if you know you ARE right. Change must be driven by good intent.
6 Your World
This isn’t the easiest of lessons from Master Yoda but what he is telling us is that we create our world as much as we are a product of it. Your world will contain what you bring into it. Your thoughts and behaviors are reflected within. Examination of same can help you identify what you need and want to change and improve.
7 The Future
I like to think that this is Yoda telling us that we can only control our own destiny to a point. None of us has the power of predicting the future but we can make plans and guide it. We need flexibility and we need to recognize opportunities and take them as much as we need to see obstacles and overcome them. Patience is as important as speed and sagacity is as important as strength.
He may be a funny little thing who lived out the last of his 900 years in a slimy mud hole in the Dagobah System but extremely wise, he is. Learn much we can from the quotes of Yoda. What’s your favorite quote from Star Wars?
