The Most Inspiring Things Your 10 Favorite Chefs Have Ever Said

If you have a favorite chef, what is it about them that makes you respect them so much? It might be because their food is delicious, but it's most likely because they're inspiring: inspiring you to cook more often, inspiring you to trust your kitchen skills, inspiring you to not be afraid to experiment. Here are inspiring quotes from 10 legendary chefs.

Ferran Adria
"There is not a good or a bad cuisine, just the one you like the best."

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

Mario Batali
"Shop often, shop hard, and spend for the best stuff available. Logic dictates that you can make delicious food only with delicious ingredients."

James Beard
"The secret of good cooking is, first, having a love of it. If you're convinced that cooking is drudgery, you're never going to be good at it, and you might as well warm up something frozen."

"Too few people understand a really good sandwich."

Julia Child
"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients."

Auguste Escoffier
"Good food is the foundation of true happiness."

Thomas Keller
"A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring the soul to the recipe."

 "No one is born a great cook. One learns by doing."

Emeril Lagasse
"I think you've got to keep it simple, keep it fresh. Stay away from all the processed stuff, read the labels."

"In order to be big, you have to think big. If you think small, you're going to be small."

Jacques Pepin
"When you are at home, even if the chicken is a little burnt, what's the big deal? Relax."

"Great cooking favors the prepared hands."

Paul Prudhomme
"You don't need a silver fork to eat good food."

"I don't think life is to be taken too seriously. Take it too seriously, and it'll getcha."

Wolfgang Puck
"Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors — it's how you combine them that sets you apart."