--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thou canst but try,' said John. 'Anyone…" description: "\"“Thou canst but try,' said John. 'Anyone can *not* do it.”\" — Marguerite de Angeli" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/marguerite-de-angeli-45007_john_thou-canst-but-try-said-john-anyone-can_1479753.png" --- # Thou canst but try,' said John. 'Anyone can \*not\* do it. ![“Thou canst but try,' said John. 'Anyone can *not* do it.” quote by Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/marguerite-de-angeli-45007_john_thou-canst-but-try-said-john-anyone-can_1479753.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/marguerite-de-angeli-45007_john_thou-canst-but-try-said-john-anyone-can_1479753.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/marguerite-de-angeli-45007_john_thou-canst-but-try-said-john-anyone-can_1479753.png) > ““Thou canst but try,' said John. 'Anyone can \*not\* do it.”” [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when told it’s impossible, one should still attempt; effort matters more than success. **In simple terms:** Try even if you might fail. Key Takeaway Attempt, regardless of outcome. Themes perseverance effort resilience Mood encouraging hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - sports - academics - creative projects - career goals - personal challenges Key Concepts motivation self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What attempts have you avoided? - How does trying shape your identity? A Different Perspective Repeated failure can erode confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john/) [Said John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-john-456827/) [Thou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou/) [Thou Canst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-canst/) [Try Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-said-4690349/) ## Related quotes > [“Would I tell him? It was hard to know. Hard to know if in the moment it happened I would feel open to discussing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roan-parrish/would-i-tell-him-it-was-hard-to-know-hard-to-know-if-in-the-moment-it/) [Roan Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roan-parrish/) > [“Can I try something?" I said. "If you dont' like it, I'll stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-carter/can-i-try-something-i-said-if-you-dont-like-it-i-ll-stop/) [Aimee Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-carter/) > [And that, said John, is that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-that-said-john-is-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If thou canst not make thyself such an one as thou wouldst, how canst thou expect to have another in all things to thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/if-thou-canst-not-make-thyself-such-an-one-as-thou-wouldst-how-canst/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [Do what good thou canst unknown, and be not vain of what ought rather to be felt than seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/do-what-good-thou-canst-unknown-and-be-not-vain-of-what-ought-rather/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [False world, thou ly'st: thou canst not lend The least delight: Thy favours cannot gain a friend, They are so slight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/false-world-thou-ly-st-thou-canst-not-lend-the-least-delight-thy/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [“No, thou art come too late, Empedocles! And the world hath the day, and must break thee, Not thou the world. With men thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/no-thou-art-come-too-late-empedocles-and-the-world-hath-the-day-and/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Such are thou and I: but what I am thou canst not be; what thou art any one of the multitude may be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/such-are-thou-and-i-but-what-i-am-thou-canst-not-be-what-thou-art-any/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [Thou canst not speak of thou dost not feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-canst-not-speak-of-thou-dost-not-feel/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [That, chang'd thro' all and yet in all the same, Great in the Earth as in th' Ætherial frame, Warms in the Sun, refreshes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/that-chang-d-thro-all-and-yet-in-all-the-same-great-in-the-earth-as/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Long John Silver's wife, Short, who said to John, If the shoe fits... Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/long-john-silver-s-wife-short-who-said-to-john-if-the-shoe-fits-never/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [“Roger paced across the room, his dressing gown flapping away and revealing his appendage in split second intervals like some sort of subliminal sausage. …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-moran/roger-paced-across-the-room-his-dressing-gown-flapping-away-and/) [Tom Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-moran/) > [ I met Sam Phillips when he came in \[studio\] and I said, I'm John Cash. I'm the one who's been calling. And if you'd… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/i-met-sam-phillips-when-he-came-in-studio-and-i-said-i-m-john-cash-i/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [“the ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee. And I will pay more for that ability,” said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-ability-to-deal-with-people-is-as-purchasable-a-commodity-as/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“Marconi said, "I see you have your instruments. Can any of you sing? The old spirituals work best." John said, "I can sing." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/marconi-said-i-see-you-have-your-instruments-can-any-of-you-sing-the/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) ## More by Marguerite de Angeli > [“wind hole (window)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/wind-hole-window/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [“It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/it-is-better-to-have-crooked-legs-than-a-crooked-spirit/) [Marguerite De Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have. That,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/it-is-better-to-have-crooked-legs-than-a-crooked-spirit-we-can-only/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [“Success, which hides behind time’s lag.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/success-which-hides-behind-time-s-lag/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [“Each of us has his place in the world " he said. "If we cannot serve in one way there is always another. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/each-of-us-has-his-place-in-the-world-he-said-if-we-cannot-serve-in/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [If thou followeth a wall far enough, there must be a door in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/if-thou-followeth-a-wall-far-enough-there-must-be-a-door-in-it/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [“Gilds the crenelated towers of the churches here and there, Intensifies the hue of flowers makes thy lovely face more fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/gilds-the-crenelated-towers-of-the-churches-here-and-there/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) > [“We can only do the best we can with what we have. That, after all, is the measure of success: what we do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-angeli/we-can-only-do-the-best-we-can-with-what-we-have-that-after-all-is/) [Marguerite de Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) [Explore all 9 Marguerite de Angeli quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-angeli/) ## More John quotes > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [If you have John Terry, Frank Lampard on the pitch, they've seen everything in football. 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Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [I love 'Fishing With John' so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-love-fishing-with-john-so-much/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [I feel very confident that that information should be sufficient for the members of the Senate to make an informed decision about John Roberts'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-gonzales/i-feel-very-confident-that-that-information-should-be-sufficient-for/) [Alberto Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-gonzales/) > [Well, I don't know how they define that. But they have this Texas blues thing blown kinda out of proportion. 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I give him a ‘what chu talkin’ ‘bout Willis?’ look and he explains. “You just woke up.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katelin-lamontagne/what-s-wrong-with-you-john-asks-suspiciously-i-give-him-a-what-chu/) [Katelin LaMontagne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katelin-lamontagne/) > [When the 2008 victory of Barack Obama and the defeat of grumpy old John McCain began looking, um, inevitable, I started fielding inquiries about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/when-the-2008-victory-of-barack-obama-and-the-defeat-of-grumpy-old/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [I am indeed a fan of John le Carre's novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/i-am-indeed-a-fan-of-john-le-carre-s-novels/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [My favorite moment of the whole thing was when John Belushi suggested that I get a hold of all the blues records I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-cropper/my-favorite-moment-of-the-whole-thing-was-when-john-belushi-suggested/) [Steve Cropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-cropper/) > [I never really got on that well with Yoko anyway. Strangely enough, I only started to get to know her after John's death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-never-really-got-on-that-well-with-yoko-anyway-strangely-enough-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I myself am consummately middle class. We grew up in upper-middle-class suburbs in Oklahoma City, and thats very much the same ethos as what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-bailey/i-myself-am-consummately-middle-class-we-grew-up-in-upper-middle/) [Blake Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-bailey/) > [At 19 years old, when I came out of St. John's, I was fresh out the 'hood. I was fresh out of Queensbridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/metta-world-peace/at-19-years-old-when-i-came-out-of-st-john-s-i-was-fresh-out-the-hood/) [Metta World Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/metta-world-peace/) [Browse all 905 John quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Thou canst but try,' said John. 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