32 Anthony Bourdain Quotes to Live By

“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

“People confuse me. Food doesn't.” – Anthony Bourdain

“When dealing with complex transportation issues, the best thing to do is pull up with a cold beer and let somebody else figure it out.” – Anthony Bourdain

“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 McDonald's? 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?” – Anthony Bourdain

“The way you make an omelet reveals your character.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive and moribund.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I've long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk.” – Anthony Bourdain

“To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I’m not afraid to look like an idiot.” – Anthony Bourdain

“You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one.” – Anthony Bourdain

“An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Good food is very often, even most often, simple food.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Few things are more beautiful to me than a bunch of thuggish, heavily tattooed line cooks moving around each other like ballerinas on a busy Saturday night.” – Anthony Bourdain

“It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there—with your eyes open—and lived to see it.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic.” – Anthony Bourdain

“It’s an unpardonable sin as far as I’m concerned, taking out personal business or some other kind of dissatisfaction on a waiter or busboy.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I don't have to agree with you to like you or respect you.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Our movements through time and space seem somehow trivial compared to a heap of boiled meat in broth, the smell of saffron, garlic, fishbones and Pernod.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Luck is not a business model.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.” – Anthony Bourdain

“There is no Final Resting Place of the Mind.” – Anthony Bourdain

“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don't have.” – Anthony Bourdain

“[When I die], I will decidedly not be regretting missed opportunities for a good time. My regrets will be more along the lines of a sad list of people hurt, people let down, assets wasted and advantages squandered.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime.” – Anthony Bourdain

“If you’re 22, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel—as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them—wherever you go.” – Anthony Bourdain

“For a moment, or a second, the pinched expressions of the cynical, world-weary, throat-cutting, miserable bastards we've all had to become disappears, when we're confronted with something as simple as a plate of food.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I'm not going anywhere. I hope. It's been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world.” – Anthony Bourdain