The quote still annoys me, despite your interpretation. Maybe for very important things, we must avoid “trying” and really do all we can.
But when giving up is a reasonable option, or when resources are scarce, trying is exactly what we need to do. When I was younger, I tried being an historian, and tried being a mathematician. I failed in the first one, and succeeded in the second. I could have done more for the first—I could have put in all possible efforts, forgone sleep and other distractions, etc… But it would have been dumb. If things are hard, and not that important, superficial trying is exactly what is called for.
Luke’s response to Yoda should have been “I will try and lift it out using the force. If that fails, I will try and lever it out. If that fails, I will build a crane and try and lift it out. If that fails, I will try and find out if there’s another way of getting off the planet...”
The quote still annoys me, despite your interpretation. Maybe for very important things, we must avoid “trying” and really do all we can.
But when giving up is a reasonable option, or when resources are scarce, trying is exactly what we need to do. When I was younger, I tried being an historian, and tried being a mathematician. I failed in the first one, and succeeded in the second. I could have done more for the first—I could have put in all possible efforts, forgone sleep and other distractions, etc… But it would have been dumb. If things are hard, and not that important, superficial trying is exactly what is called for.
Luke’s response to Yoda should have been “I will try and lift it out using the force. If that fails, I will try and lever it out. If that fails, I will build a crane and try and lift it out. If that fails, I will try and find out if there’s another way of getting off the planet...”