Master Yoda: 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… what he was doing. Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.
Where does this quote come from? (Source)
This quote is from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), also known as Episode V. Produced by Lucasfilm, the film is a part of the Star Wars universe.
- Movie: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Movie Number: Episode V
- Production: Lucasfilm
Why we collected this quote
Yoda’s words here are one of his most inspiring and famous speeches – a pivotal moral lesson about the Jedi path that defines what Luke must overcome. It’s dramatic, quotable, and has resonated far beyond Star Wars as a piece of philosophy about presence and mindfulness.
What does this quote mean? (Meaning & Context)
Yoda is describing his long observation of Luke to Obi-Wan – explaining why he’s reluctant to train him. Luke has always looked away from the present moment toward future glory and adventure, which is exactly the wrong instinct for a Jedi. The line “A Jedi craves not these things” is Yoda’s distillation of everything Luke will spend the film struggling to unlearn.
Fun facts & Trivia
Yoda’s distinctive inverted speech pattern was a deliberate creative choice by George Lucas and Frank Oz to make him feel ancient and otherworldly – and lines like this one show how much power that unusual syntax can carry.
