Star Wars: 50 Greatest Yoda Quotes, Ranked

Out of all of the different Jedi we’ve seen in the storyline of Star Wars, Yoda has been the most unconventional because no one would ever suspect that someone as small as him could be so powerful. Of course, it goes without saying that he was the strongest Jedi before the fall of the Jedi Order. But there was something else that made Yoda an even better character than what people often think.

Regarding Yoda, the one thing that stands out the most about him is his wisdom. Yoda’s ability to say the right things at the right time was always one of the best things about his character. People love Yoda for the wisdom coming out of his words, and many of the things he said can be applied to real life. So, with that said, let’s look at the greatest Yoda quotes of all time to understand what made him so wise.

50. “The greatest teacher, failure is.”

One of the things that we know is that failures are normal in anyone’s life. Yoda understands how failures can be helpful to everyone because failing can teach people how to avoid certain failures and to know how to be better. That is why Yoda knows that failure is the greatest teacher of all. And that is why people shouldn’t be afraid to fail, as failing can leave a valuable lesson that should be learned.

49. “No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Yoda’s most memorable words for most people can be found in this quote. He said this when Luke was trying to use the Force, only for him to find doing so quite difficult. That was when Yoda told him these exact words, as he was telling him that he should have conviction in everything he did. After all, not having conviction would mean failure, even if a person really did try their best.

48. “You fail because you don’t believe.”

In line with the fact that people should try their best in everything they do and that they should do so with conviction, it is equally important to believe in whatever you are doing. That’s because believing is the most important part of success, as no one would ever succeed in anything if they already believe they will fail. Those who don’t believe are the ones who often fail.

47. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Arguably, Yoda’s most popular quote from the prequel trilogy is one of the wisest things he said about how a Jedi can fall to the dark side. We all know that he sensed much fear in Anakin, so he was reluctant to accept him into the Jedi Order. He understood that Anakin’s fears could very well lead him to the dark side, and he was right. And that’s because those who fear are those who are prone to the darkness, as that was what happened to Anakin.

46. “You will find only what you bring in.”

When Luke is about to embark on one of Yoda’s tests, he asks the Jedi Master what he would find there, only for Yoda to tell him this quote. Yoda was telling him that the only thing he would find there would be the fears he carries in his heart. This applies to almost everything in life because the only things that will hold us down are those we carry in our hearts.

45. “Patience you must have, my young Padawan.”

In everything in life, patience is one of the most important things that we should have. We should never rush things because rushing can lead us to failure. That means that everyone must be patient in their approach to life, as patience allows us to see every possibility we can see. And when we are patient, we are more careful with our actions and our approach.

44. “Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.”

Yoda knows and appreciates a child’s mind, and he was wise enough to listen to the words of a child when Obi-Wan Kenobi was asking what happened to the planet he was looking for. Of course, this is because children tend to be innocent and unaffected by the different issues that plague an adult’s mind. And that’s why children tend to have the simplest yet best answers to almost everything.

43. “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? 

While Yoda may be small, he knows he is strong not by size but because of his ability to use the Force. He knows that the Force allows anyone to be strong, regardless of their size. Of course, Yoda also understands that people often underestimate him because of his size, and that is where he often gains the advantage. He knows that he already has the advantage when people underestimate him, and he is wise enough to use that against his enemies.

42. “Control, control, you must learn control!”

One of the most important things that Jedi, or basically anyone, should have is control over their actions. In a Jedi’s case, control is important because doing so allows a Jedi to use their powers wisely. After all, those who don’t care about how they use their strength and power are the ones who don’t care about hurting people or causing damage all around them. This can be applicable in daily life because having control over our actions allows us ultimate control over our actions’ outcome.

41. “Great warrior. Hmm. Wars not make one great.”  

It is important to note that the Jedi were never warriors but peacekeepers, and Yoda understood that. So, when Luke said that he was looking for a great warrior, Yoda told him that wars don’t make people great because wars only lead to death and destruction. That is one of the most important things about being a Jedi, as no Jedi would ever call themselves great by killing many people and causing death and destruction all over the galaxy.

40. “Always two there are. No more. No less. A master and an apprentice.”

Yoda was one of the few Jedi who understood how the Rule of Two works. He understood that there would only be two Sith Lords at any given time, and that was why he cautioned the Jedi Order to be careful of the possibility of another Sith Lord running about after the defeat of Darth Maul.

39. “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

When it comes to learning new things, we must never assume that we know everything. The first step to learning is understanding that you don’t know everything, and that’s why we need to unlearn what we have learned. In doing so, we can accept that we don’t know everything and still have to learn many more things in life. And this is why there is a need to unlearn what we have learned.

38. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”

The most important part about being a Jedi is that being one is being a peacekeeper and not a warrior. It has always been the case that being a Jedi meant keeping peace and order in the galaxy, and that is why the Jedi should never be the aggressors. Instead, they always have to use the Force to seek more knowledge and protect themselves and other people from those who seek to create trouble.

37. “Many of the truths we cling to depend on our point of view.”

The thing about the world is that almost nothing is absolutely true, as some truths depend entirely on where people are standing. Yoda understands that some things that may be true to others may be false to some, and that’s why people need to understand things from the point of view of others as well to see that some truths aren’t absolute.

36. “Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery, hmm… but weakness, folly, failure, also. Yes, failure, most of all.”

As a master or teacher, it isn’t only important to pass down knowledge and strength to the next generation because it is equally important to pass down failures as well. Failure is the greatest teacher, as that is what Yoda would say. As such, passing failures down to the next generation will allow them to learn how to overcome them and become better people.

35. “Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan. Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot.”

In the world, it is important to ensure that no one should ever try to assume things as they are. It is just as important for people to become more focused on keeping an open mind instead of assuming things so that they can learn the truth. This is why assumptions don’t have a place in the world, especially when there are still things that aren’t clear. It is only when you don’t assume that you can see things as they are

34. “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

As Yoda said, fearing loss is one of the pathways to the dark side, which is why people need to understand and learn how to let go of the things they fear. This is one of the most vital parts of being a Jedi because the Jedi should learn not to hold on to things that they are afraid of losing. And as soon as we let go of the things that we are afraid of losing, we can find harmony and peace within ourselves

33. “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.”

Yoda understands that people dying is a normal part of everyday life and that there should be no need for anyone to worry or be sad about people dying. Death is completely natural, and those who die in the world of Star Wars become part of the Force. Being afraid of losing someone to death is understandable, but it should never be something that should hold someone down, as death will and has always been natural.

32. “If so powerful you are, why leave?”

Yoda faced Darth Sidious to stop the Empire before it overwhelmed the entire galaxy. Of course, Palpatine wasn’t about to allow the strongest Jedi of that time to have a chance to kill him, and that was why he tried to flee, even if he was so powerful as well. Yoda, of course, taunted the emperor because there shouldn’t be a reason for him to leave if he was so powerful. And this scene perfectly symbolizes the cowardice of the Sith.

31. “The more we learn, the more we discover how much we do not know.”

Learning will and has always been a continuing process that will never have an ending. The more we learn things, the more we understand that there are many things we don’t know. This is where a person’s natural curiosity comes into play because those who seek knowledge to better themselves will never truly accept that they know everything. As such, people need to keep on learning to discover things that they don’t know.

30. “Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years, have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. 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. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.”

When Luke wanted to be a Jedi and was looking to learn under Yoda, one of the first things that the Jedi Master taught him was that being a Jedi was never about a life full of fun, excitement, and adventure. No Jedi would ever want to be a Jedi for the sake of adventure, and that was why Yoda was trying to temper Luke’s expectations, as he wanted the young man to learn what it was truly like to be a Jedi.

29. “Named must your fear be, before banish it you can.”

The first thing that people need to learn when it comes to facing and conquering they fear to accept the things that they fear. Only when a person understands that they fear something can they face it head-on. That is why those who are looking to conquer their fears need to understand what they fear so that they can face it without any doubts. And it is only when we know what we fear that we can actually conquer our fears.

28. “When you look at the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back.”

This is Yoda’s version of the saying, “When you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares right back.” This basically means that even something as simple as experimenting with dark and evil deeds and thoughts could plunge a person down the path of darkness. Everyone has to be careful about peering into the dark because no one knows if there’s something in the dark looking right back.

27. “To be Jedi is to face the truth and choose. Give off light or darkness, Padawan. Be a candle or the night.”

The most important part about being a Jedi is to be a symbol of truth and justice in the galaxy. That is why a Jedi has to choose if he should give off light or plunge everything into darkness. Jedi, of course, have to stand up for what is right, and that is why they are the candles that shine bright in a dark galaxy that’s full of evil instead of being the very source of darkness that plagues everything.

26. “Out of acceptance comes wisdom. Not an acquirement wisdom is; not knowledge wisdom is, and not information. This quality of tremendous acceptance is wisdom.”

Wisdom has been described as many things, and some say that people acquire wisdom through age. However, Yoda believes that wisdom comes from acceptance. Only by accepting things for what they are and understanding how to accept everything happening around them can a person become wise. Yoda was never wise because he was old. Instead, he was wise because he understood and knew how to accept things.

25. “Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will.”

It is often said that evil and darkness can be a one-way trip that will forever keep a person down that path. That is why people should be careful about going down a dark path because there is no certainty as to whether or not a person can still return. Yoda understood this when he said that a Jedi should be careful about going down the dark side as doing so will forever allow darkness to dominate a Jedi’s path.

24. “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.”

There are many things that a Jedi should be, but it is just as important for a Jedi to be deeply committed to the cause. That’s because a Jedi has to live a life that’s far away from personal gain and anything that can lead them to temptation. It is also important for a Jedi to be committed to looking at the future instead of the past. This is why commitment has always been the most important part of being a Jedi, as it takes a very strong person to be committed forever.

23. “The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is.”

Yoda understood that the Sith was using the dark side to cloud the Jedi’s ability to see the future and predict what would happen. Sidious’ darkness was at play, and Yoda and the other Jedi knew that this dark power was disrupting their connection to the Force. That is why Yoda and the other Jedi could not see the doom that was about to befall the entire Jedi Order and even the Republic.

22. “No longer certain, that one ever does win a war, I am. For in fighting the battles, the bloodshed, already lost we have.”

Even though the Jedi Order had to be dragged into the Clone Wars, Yoda knew that its beliefs were at stake as they had to abandon their status as peacemakers to participate in a war they shouldn’t have been involved in. He also knew that the very fact that they were fighting a war was already good enough for him to believe that the Jedi Order had already lost because the Jedi were never supposed to fight in wars or participate in bloodshed.

21. On many long journeys have I gone. And waited, too, for others to return from journeys of their own. Some return and some are broken; some come back, so differently only their names remain.”

People go on different life journeys, some of which are very long. Journeys are meant to change people, and Yoda understood that not everyone came back the same as they were after a long journey. He also acknowledged that some people never came back from their own journeys. And even when others returned, they came back broken and entirely different.

20. “In the end, cowards are those who follow the dark side.”

For Yoda, those who follow the dark side of the Force are cowards because they only do things for their own selfish desires. On the other hand, the Jedi and any other person who follows the light side protect people and fight for what’s right. And because cowards always go for what’s easier, those who dwell in the dark side don’t dare to step out into the light.

19. “Smaller in number are we, but larger in mind.”

Many times, Yoda and his troops were outnumbered, especially during the Clone Wars. Despite that, he never gave up because he knew that he and his troops were smarter than their enemies, especially when they were facing droids. In that regard, he gave hope to the clones who were fighting alongside him as he made them understand that brains can still trump sheer numbers.

18. “Your path you must decide.”

Even though there are a lot of different people who think that they have no choice in life, that was never true because choices are made by the people who choose to do what they do. In that regard, a person’s path is entirely up to them instead of anyone. That is the same case for the Jedi and everyone else in Star Wars because they had complete control over what they wanted to do, including choosing the path they wanted to walk on their entire lives.

17. “In a dark place, we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.”

There will be moments in time when we are in the darkest of times, and we seemingly cannot do anything about the situation. That is where knowledge can come as a light source that can guide us out of tough situations. The more than a person knows, the more equipped they are in dealing with different problems in life. And Yoda knows more than anyone else that knowledge can be useful in any tough situation a person can find themselves in.

16. “Pain, suffering, and death I feel. Something terrible has happened. Young Skywalker is in pain. Terrible pain.”

It was always the case that Yoda was able to feel Anakin Skywalker’s fears, especially when it came to his mother. So, when Anakin finally gave in to despair when his mother died, Yoda could feel it through the Force. He felt Anakin’s pain as Shmi Skywalker died in his arms. This was one of the events that eventually forced Anakin down the path of the dark side because he decided never to witness the death of a loved one ever again.

15. “To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not.”

The Jedi should never be aggressive, which means that they never resort to violence unless they really need to do so. That is why the Jedi never answer power with power. Instead, they only use power to defend themselves and those who cannot defend themselves. It is not the Jedi way to use violence and aggression against those who seek to use violence and aggression.

14. “Mind what you have learned. Save you; it can.”

Everything a person has learned in life can be useful in any situation. The same concept applies to a Jedi because everything taught to them since the start of their training can save them in tough situations. This is why the Jedi should always try to remember their training whenever they are in a bad spot, as this is the only thing that they can hold on to in the worst possible situation.

13. “A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force.”

At the end of the day, the Jedi rely on the power of the Force more than anything else in the entire galaxy. The Jedi are taught to trust in the Force and use its power correctly because the Jedi’s strength comes from and flows through the Force itself. It is only when a Jedi opens themselves up to the Force that they can use its power.

12. “We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.”

Every single master who has taken an apprentice or has taught a pupil in the past would know that they pass on everything they know to the next generation. This is what it means to have a legacy. When a pupil learns and grows beyond what the master taught them, this is also a reflection of the master’s quality, as the pupil would not have gotten as far as they did without the help of the master.  

11. “In this war, a danger there is of losing who we are.”

When the Jedi Order was forced to go to war against the Separatists during the Clone Wars, Yoda understood that there was a danger that they would lose who they were because the Jedi were never supposed to be warriors. It was so difficult for the Jedi to hold on to the things that they held on dear because they needed to be warriors during the Clone Wars to protect the weak people who were becoming victims of the cruelty and evil of the Separatists. And Yoda knew as much that it was difficult for them to hold on to their beliefs in a war that tested what it meant to be a Jedi.

10. “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”

The Jedi may have the ability to use the Force to see the future or what lies ahead, but the thing is that the future isn’t always easy to predict. That’s because the future is always in motion, making it very difficult for the Jedi to see what lies ahead. Different things that happen right now can change the outcome of the future. And Yoda understood that more than anything when he couldn’t see the destruction of the Jedi Order.

9. “Listening to music sometimes, a window opens and happy you are.”

One of the most important things that Yoda understood about being a Jedi was that there was a need for them to be in harmony and to be in peace. Of course, being at peace also means being happy, which is what music does to someone. There are instances wherein music can be good for a person to be in harmony and at peace.

8. “Just disconnect. Once in a day sometime, sit silently and from all connections disconnect yourself.”

This is one of the best pieces of advice that Yoda can give anyone, regardless of whether they are in the Star Wars universe or the real world. That’s because anyone can benefit from disconnecting from the world for a while, especially when things become too busy and hectic. Disconnecting from everything can be relaxing and therapeutic. That’s why it can be nice to disconnect at times.

7. “A way there always is.”

No matter how difficult the situation may be, there will always be a solution to a problem. Problems were made to be answered and to have a solution no matter how tough the times may be. That’s why Yoda believes there will always be a way through any problem. And it always starts with believing and hoping that there will always be a way.

6. “Your past can ruin your future, if you allow it.”   

Anyone needs to make sure that the past stays in the past. We can always use the past as a way for us to become better people, but it should never hold us down, especially when many bad things happened in the past. Looking at the past and thinking that it will affect your future will only allow it to ruin what can be a good future. And while the past is important, it should never be allowed to ruin your future.

5. “Honor life by living. Killing honors only death: only the dark side.”

The best way for anyone to honor life is by actually living life to its fullest. You can never honor the memory of someone dead by killing because killing people only honors death instead of life. That’s why it’s always important for people to understand how important it is to live life to its fullest, as this is the only way for you to be thankful for the gift of life and to honor those who lived before you.

4. “Each choice, the branch of a tree is: What looked like a decision, is after only a pattern of growth.”

Every choice we make tends to branch off to more choices that we have to make. No single choice makes up an entire tree because different choices are branches that form a tree. That means that a single choice in life will never determine who you are. Every choice you make creates a pattern of growth that you have control over because you always have control over your choices.

3. “Luminous beings are we… not this crude matter.”

Near the end of his life, Yoda was thankful for the 900 years that he lived. He knew and understood that he would become part of the Force after death, which was why he rejoiced in the chance to become part of the universe. He understood that his body was not what defined him, but his soul, which was going to become one with the Force, truly determined who he was. As such, he was not afraid to die because he knew his soul would become part of the Force.

2. “That is the way of things. The way of the Force.”

At the end of the day, Yoda trusted and believed in the will of the Force. He knew that the Force governed everything that happened in the universe, which was why he trusted the way that the Force allowed things to happen. The way that the universe is was always a product of the Force. And while it can be difficult to trust in what the Force has in store for some people, Yoda believed in its will and power.

1. “Soon will I rest, yes, forever sleep. Earned it I have.”

Yoda lived a fruitful life after nine centuries in the galaxy. He had done many things that he could be proud of, but he also knew that he committed many mistakes along the way. Nevertheless, he understood that he had already done what he needed to do, especially when it came to helping Luke Skywalker prepare. As such, Yoda knew that it was time to rest because he earned his place as part of the Force.

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