On adventure…
“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.”
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
On respect…
“I don’t have to agree with you to like you or respect you.”
― Anthony Bourdain
On wisdom…
“Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom… is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.”
― Anthony Bourdain
On character…
“Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t have.”
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
On making mistakes…
“Don’t lie about it. You made a mistake. Admit it and move on. Just don’t do it again. Ever”
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
On the beauty of the journey…
“The journey is part of the experience — an expression of the seriousness of one’s intent. One doesn’t take the A train to Mecca.”
― Anthony Bourdain, A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines
On our connection to food…
“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.”
― Anthony Bourdain
On business…
“Luck is not a business model.”
― Anthony Bourdain
On being wrong…
“I always entertain the notion that I’m wrong, or that I’ll have to revise my opinion. Most of the time that feels good; sometimes it really hurts and is embarrassing.”
― Anthony Bourdain
On the impact of travel…
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
― Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach
On the perfect date…
“For a dinner date, I eat light all day to save room, then I go all in: I choose this meal and this order, and I choose you, the person across from me, to share it with. There’s a beautiful intimacy in a meal like that.”
― Anthony Bourdain
On connecting with people…
“People are generally proud of their food. A willingness to eat and drink with people without fear and prejudice… they open up to you in ways that somebody visiting who is driven by a story may not get.”
― Anthony Bourdain
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Two Years After His Death, These 13 Anthony Bourdain Quotes Still Inspire Us
On June 8, 2018, the world lost a culinary icon, respectful explorer and inspiring human. Anthony Bourdain will be remembered as an opinionated, brave and innovative public figure. He was sardonic and the very definition of cool. But it might surprise some to know he didn’t consider himself a great chef. He was a prolific writer, including writing a handful of crime novels, though he didn’t consider himself good at that either.
While we respectfully disagree on both of those points, there’s no denying Bourdain’s main contribution to America’s culinary landscape was through the connections he made with people across the globe, using food as the international language. Between his books and his TV shows and in countless interviews, he made us laugh, he made us cry — but most of all, he inspired us to see the world through other people’s food and through other people’s eyes.
Ahead, you’ll find some of our favorite Anthony Bourdain quotes to keep the inspiration going.
A version of this article was originally published June 2019.
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