Greetings. I recently started using Inkscape and everything has been pretty straightforward and easy to figure out so far through trial and error or Google searches...but I'm having an issue today that I can't seem to fix. I'm basically trying to isolate the diagonal line from a capital N by deleting the vertical lines on the right and left side. I've converted it to a path but I can't erase any of it or apply the Difference command to it and a rectangle which would trim off the unwanted part. So I can't seem to alter it any way as if it's still a shape. Any ideas?

Look into the status line at the bottom. What reason does it give for the operation not working?

Probably it's a group, try ungrouping it.
Use the node tool and select the segments to delete and you will be done much more quickly than the methods you are suggesting

Yeah it was because I hadn't ungrouped it..thanks!