"Luke: I'm looking for a great warrior.
Yoda: Oh, great warrior.
Wars not make one great.
To understand Yoda, it's equally important to
understand his antithesis Darth Vader.
Specifically, how they both use language.
Although they are fictional characters
in a surreal sci-fi world dreamt up by
the unbridled imagination of its creator,
George Lucas, the way these two
characters use language provides a
legitimate and brilliant perspective on
how grammar can impact cognition and as
a result self-image. Take Darth Vader he
acts as commander in chief of the Imperial
army, the backbone of a Sith ruled
dictatorship. His position in the
Imperial Army acts as a perfect
representation of a broken man
insatiable hunger for power. Instead of
using the Force to spread egalitarian
ideals, he to uses it to gain control. He
tempts his son Luke into joining his
quest for world domination with a
seductive description of the dark side
and the alluring promises of the
unknown. "Darth Vader: If you only knew the power of the
dark side."  This famous line from The Empire
Strikes Back if the perfect example to
show the fundamental difference between
the grammar and psyche of darth vader
and yoda.  If you only knew is an optative
construction. There's the present
counterfactual clause if, the particle
only, with the past tense verb knew.
The present counterfactual optative
construction 'if you only" in combination
with the past tense verb "knew" expresses a
condition in the subjunctive mood.  Optative
constructions in the optative mood
indicate a wish or hope, while the
subjunctive expresses a state of being
or act that is either distantly possible,
contingent
on certain conditions, or totally
hypothetical. There's no arguing that the
overall tone of this grammatical
construct is seductive and enticing. This
contrasts greatly with Yoda who uses
broken English that avoids grammatical
moods expressing fantasy or desire. "Luke: All
right I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. try not. Do
or do not. There is no try." Do or do
not is a blunt command in the imperative
mood. The imperative is a mood in verb
form that makes a command or request. The
verb try in there is no try is
expressed in the indicative mood. A
verb in the indicative mood is used to make
a straightforward statement expressing
certainty and actuality. Both the
indicative and the imperatives act as
dramatical constructs based in reality,
opposed to the subjunctive which
describes fantasies and unreal
situations. The Jedi are people of action
who don't dwell on fear or potential
outcomes. "Luke: I don't believe it. Yoda: That is why you fail."
Where the sith draw much of their power
from fear and hypotheticals-which
explains one of the reasons Anakin
Skywalker turned to the dark side in the
first place. His fear of losing those he
loved and their inevitable deaths. "Yoda: Afraid
to lose her I think mm-hmm.  Anakin: What does
that got to do with anything.  Yoda: Everything!
Fear is a path to the dark side.  Fear leads
to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to
suffering."  So when the going gets tough
take advice from Yoda. Don't think about
failure and what ifs. Instead, take action
and embrace the raw veracity of the
indicative.
