History Main / YouDidEverythingYouCould

* Said a bazillion times, by almost every character, to almost every character, on ''Series/{{ER}}''.

* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter'' series:

* In ''Fanfic/{{Origins}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, Samantha Shepard's therapist discusses this trope (though not by name) over Shepard's [[GuiltComplex insistence]] that somehow the [[spoiler:Flood]] taking over the galaxy is [[InsaneTrollLogic her fault]] despite being pitted against a PhysicalGod and HordeOfAlienLocusts.

On the other hand, it's sometimes countered with a taunt of "Your best wasn't good enough!". Sometimes, it may ''still'' be good enough to [[CareerBuildingBlunder keep you your job]].

** Also occurs in season six, when [[spoiler: the patient dies due to a fat embolism, after a leg amputation, which House could not have done anything to prevent]]. When Foreman tells House that is wasn't his fault, House is not consoled because that was exactly what was eating him up; he did everything he could (everything ''anyone'' could), and it still wasn't enough.

!!As this is sometimes a {{Death Trope|s}}, [[Adminisrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].

Compare SamaritanSyndrome, SurvivorsGuilt, GuiltComplex (when it's clear that this is true, but the character cannot stop blaming themselves), and {{Wangst}} when this trope goes too far.

In every MedicalDrama, almost every CopShow, basically any show where the characters often have someone else's life/future in their hands, there will come a time when they will fail and the person they're trying to save will die (or wind up paralyzed, or in jail, or some other long-term bad thing). [[MyGreatestFailure The character will feel incredibly guilty,]] but an understanding friend or colleague - sometimes even the person whose life they just ruined - will insist, "You did everything you could" or "You tried your best" or variants thereof. Sometimes the character will [[IDidWhatIHadToDo say the phrase him/herself]], in which case the "you" becomes "I."

On the other hand, it's sometimes countered with a taunt of "Your best wasn't good enough!" And sometimes, it may ''still'' be good enough to [[CareerBuildingBlunder keep you your job]].

Speaking of blaming yourself, [[IShouldHaveBeenBetter there are other]] [[ItsAllMyFault stock phrases]] for that. And there's also a second [[YouDidTheRightThing stock phrase]] for reassuring someone blaming themselves.

* It could be interpreted that this is what kicks off the entire plot of Naoki Urasawa's ''Anime/{{Monster}}''. After being assigned by the higher-ups in the hospital to save the life of a famous opera singer instead of a Turkish man, Dr. Tenma tries to console himself by getting one of these during a dinner with his fiancee, Eva. [[spoiler: She gives it to him, immediately followed by the line, "After all, not all lives are created equal." The shock of this helps him make his decision to save the life of the title character.]]
* Pictured above: One of the few times ''Manga/BlackJack'' failed to save someone, that someone being the surgeon that saved Black Jack as a child and inspired him to become a doctor in the first place. Black Jack's mentor's spirit(?) assures him that he did what he could.
** Specifically, he says, "To think that doctors are above life and death is just arrogant, don't you think?" It was his last words.

* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Kikyo reacts this way towards both Inuyasha and Kagome when [[spoiler:Naraku kills her for real; she softly reassures Kagome that even if she couldn't save her life, she nonetheless saved her soul, and when Inuyasha is [[ManlyTears breaking down]] over being too late to save her, she [[GoOutWithASmile smiles]] and gently reassures him that the fact that he came for her is all that matters]].

* Franchise/{{Superman}}: After the end of [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfClarkKent the Conduit saga]], Jimmy Olsen gives a talk like this to Superman when it looks like the Man of Tomorrow will not be able to save him from one of Conduit's {{deathtrap}}s. Subverted in that he survived.

-->A fine epitaph for a world, Jhoram..."they did all they could."

* ''{{VideoGame/Decision}}'': One of the lines randomly spouted by militia at the end of a level is this trope, despite having no relation to how well you did on the level.
* In ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', Fuyuhiko fights tooth-and-nail to prevent [[spoiler:Peko]] being convicted of murder- not because she's innocent, but because there were a ''lot'' of mitigating standards, and Monokuma's twisted idea of "justice" entails execution for any murder, no matter how involuntary it was. Through the trial, Fuyuhiko's arguments become weaker and weaker until eventually [[spoiler:Peko]] herself tells him to be quiet, citing this trope.

-->'''Fidget''': We did everything right, Dust. Everything we were supposed to do.
-->'''Dust''': And sometimes that is not enough.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[quoteright:310:[[Manga/BlackJack https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/everythingyoucould.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:310:Sometimes, even the greatest fail.]]

Compare SurvivorsGuilt, GuiltComplex (when it's clear that this is true, but the character cannot stop blaming themselves), and {{Wangst}} when this trope goes too far.

** ''TheSimpsons'' did use it straight in the ep with the operation on the dog when the vet throws a dead hamster into a garbage can. [[BlackComedy The garbage can has a little basketball hoop on it -- it's clearly not the first time he's chucked a small dead animal into the garbage.]]

* In the ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfSupermanS2E6TheDefeatOfSuperman The Defeat of Superman]]", ComicBook/JimmyOlsen uses the "I did everything I could" variant when apologizing to Superman for not being able to save him from the Kryptonite. Shortly thereafter, he does find a way out.

[[folder: Theatre]]

* ''Film/ResidentEvil''. As Alice and Matt near the exit, Alice feels responsible for not saving all of their comrades who died.

* ''Blog/LimyaaelsFantasyRants'': Limyaael advises against this in writing. She says that authors should not invalidate guilt on the protagonist's part (as in) and should keep it genuinely ambiguous as to whether the protagonist could have made a difference. This opinion being expressed by other characters is fine, but if an author constantly makes it so that the protagonist's failures have no consequence ("It doesn't matter that you couldn't/didn't save him from the housefire, he would have died that day from Lethal Disease #9567 anyway!") ever, the protagonist verges into MarySue[=/=]InvincibleHero territory, and the story loses realism and depth.