try one's hardest

The little man looked at me like he thought I was trying too hard.

So perhaps they were not trying too hard, after all.

But you're a good man and you try very hard.

You try to at least work hard, just to do something for the team.

Everybody's been trying too hard, because of who we are.

I knew from experience that she could be difficult without trying very hard.

"Then it might all come back to me without my trying very hard."

They try very hard, but never get anything for their efforts.

We've been trying very hard in that area to bring everybody together for a number of years.

The fact is that by now I wasn't trying very hard.