"If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff."

"Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great."

"Change is nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide."

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment."

"We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

"Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."

"You know how I've been talking about the importance of trying new things? Well, this is the opposite. This is the importance of knowing what you like."

"Food will always come from those who cook. Critics don't make anything."

"This is me, Dad. I can't help it. I like new things."

"If it's a good smell, it's good to eat, yes? So, if it's a good person, he'd be good to eat? You see? The logic is not logical."

"If you focus on what you've left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead."

"Gusteau's restaurant is the kitchen of a five-star chef, not a garbage heap for sewer rats. The very fact that you've come here shows that you have no respect for his memory!"

"I don't like food that's standing around. That's a standing food. Food should be sitting down. On a plate."

"Hey, wait a minute. If you're the imaginary friend of a rat, then you're MY imaginary friend!"

"This is a very big kitchen, and I have a very big head. Colette! You will teach him!"

"You cannot be a chef. You are a rat. They're not gonna let a rat in a five-star restaurant."

"I'm a scientist. I don't believe in anything."

"I have to say, I am a great admirer of your book. I read it every night. Not for pleasure. For study."

"Listen to me. You are a cook. If you work in a kitchen, you're a cook. It's a title given to you by others. It's a badge of honor. You can't give it to yourself."

"This is the worst thing I've ever eaten. Not only is it burnt, but it's also too salty. You'd have to be a complete idiot to serve something like this."

"There are approximately one million rats in Paris. That means approximately one million opportunities to prove yourself wrong."

"How can I trust a rat? Anywhere, any time, a rat can be a rat."

"Food is fuel. You get picky about what you put in the tank, your engine is gonna die. Now shut up and eat your garbage."

"But I don't want to eat garbage. I want to eat the good stuff."

"How's this for a philosophy: 'The world is a rat's idea of a restaurant.'"

"Your father would have been proud. But he'd have also been afraid. The two are not mutually exclusive, you know."

"I love this job. I love the smell of the kitchen. I love the sounds. I love the heat. I love everything about it."

"He's not a cook. He's a janitor who cooks sometimes. Big difference."

"I don't know what you're talking about. The only reason I'm here is because I was hungry, and I smelled something good. That's it."

"You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from."

"Your only limitation is the size of your dreams."

"I think it's a soup. I think you made a soup. And I think it's the best soup I've ever tasted."

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness!"

"My mother used to say that the only thing you need in life is talent, and the nerve to try."

"We are cooks. We're not artists. We put food on the table. That's all."

"I don't need you to tell me who I am. I know who I am."

"You know what I'm beginning to realize? I like garbage. It's not that bad once you get used to it."

"You know how I got through culinary school? I pretended to be someone I wasn't. I pretended to be a cook."

"The only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability."

"You don't know what it's like to be different. To be a rat who wants to cook. To be a rat who can cook."

"I'm not a cook. I'm a janitor. But I can cook. I can cook because I have a rat. A rat who's a cook."

"The world is changing. The world is always changing. The only thing that stays the same is the food."

"You are the one who cooks. I am the one who pulls your hair. Together we are a chef."

"I've been reduced to eating garbage. Literally. I'm eating garbage."

"I realize that I don't know anything about cooking. I know about food, but I don't know about cooking."

"If you're going to be a cook, you have to be able to take the heat. Literally. The kitchen is hot."

"You know what I love about cooking? It's the one thing where if you mess up, you can start over. You can't do that with life."

"I'm not a rat. I'm a cook. I'm a rat who is a cook. That's what I am."

"You are a strange, strange little animal. But you can cook. And for that, I will forgive you anything."

"The finest meals are often simple. The key is to use the freshest ingredients and to let them speak for themselves."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I trust a rat. A rat who can cook. What is this world coming to?"

"You know what your problem is? You think too much. Just cook. Feel it. Don't think."

"I have a secret. I have a secret that I've been keeping from you. I'm not a cook. I'm a janitor. And I have a rat. A rat who cooks."

"You can't just walk into a kitchen and expect to be a chef. It takes years of training. Years of dedication. Years of... cooking."

"I used to think that cooking was about control. But now I realize, it's about letting go. Letting the ingredients be themselves."

"The meal is not about the cook. It's about the person eating it. It's about giving them something they'll never forget."

"I have a dream. I dream of a place where a rat can cook. Where a janitor can be a chef. Where anyone can be anything."

"You know, for a rat, you're not half bad. In fact, you're better than half the cooks I've worked with."

"I don't care if you're a rat. I don't care if you're a monkey. If you can cook, you can cook. That's all that matters."

"The kitchen is a battlefield. And you have to be ready to fight every day. For your place. For your food. For your life."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm proud of you. A rat. A rat who cooks. My son."

"The best meals are the ones that remind you of home. Of your mother. Of your childhood. Of who you are."

"I'm not just a rat. I'm a chef. And I'm going to prove it. To everyone. To you. To the world."

"Cooking is not about recipes. It's about passion. It's about love. It's about giving a piece of yourself to someone else."

"You can't let fear control you. Fear is the enemy of creativity. Fear is the enemy of good cooking."

"I've spent my whole life trying to be someone I'm not. But now, with you, I can be who I really am. A cook. A rat. A cook who's a rat."

"You know what the best part of cooking is? It's when someone takes a bite of your food and their eyes light up. That's the best part."

"In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport. You don't mess with the food."

"I don't need fancy ingredients. I don't need expensive equipment. All I need is my nose and my heart. That's all a cook really needs."

"You are not a cook. You are a rat. And rats do not cook. That is the way of things."

"The way of things can change. The way of things must change. Otherwise, nothing would ever get better."

"I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of anyone. I'm a cook. And cooks don't run away."

"You have the nose of a true chef. You can smell things that others can't. That's a gift. Use it."

"I used to think that the only way to be a chef was to be born into it. But now I know that anyone can be a chef. Anyone with passion. Anyone with heart."

"You can't judge a chef by his appearance. You can't judge a meal by its cover. You have to taste it. You have to experience it."

"The most important ingredient in any dish is the love you put into it. Without love, it's just food. With love, it's a masterpiece."

"I may be a rat, but I have the soul of a chef. And nothing can change that. Not you. Not anyone."

"You know what I've learned? The best things in life are the ones you least expect. Like a rat who can cook. Or a janitor who becomes a chef."

"Cooking is an art. And like any art, it requires practice. It requires patience. It requires passion."

"I don't care what anyone says. I'm a chef. A real chef. And I'm going to prove it. One meal at a time."

"The world is full of people who will tell you what you can't do. Don't listen to them. Listen to your heart. It knows what you can do."

"I never thought I'd find a friend in a rat. But here we are. Best friends. A janitor and a rat who cooks."

"You have a gift. A gift for cooking. Don't waste it. Don't hide it. Share it with the world."

"I'm not just cooking for myself anymore. I'm cooking for all of us. For my family. For my friends. For everyone who believed in me."

"The kitchen is my home. The stove is my hearth. The food is my family. This is where I belong."

"You know what I love about French cooking? It's honest. It doesn't try to be something it's not. It's just good food. Simple. Real. Honest."

"I may be small. I may be a rat. But I have big dreams. And I'm not going to let anyone stop me from achieving them."

"The best meals are the ones that tell a story. A story of where the ingredients came from. A story of who prepared them. A story of love."

"I've been cooking my whole life. And I've never seen anything like this. A rat who cooks. It's... it's incredible."

"You don't become a great chef by following recipes. You become a great chef by following your instincts. By trusting your nose. By listening to your heart."

"I used to think that being a chef was about being in control. But now I know it's about being in harmony. With the ingredients. With the kitchen. With yourself."

"The greatest thing about cooking is that it brings people together. Around a table. Around a meal. Around love."

"I'm not afraid anymore. Of being different. Of being a rat. Of being a chef. I'm not afraid of anything."

"You have taught me something important. You have taught me that greatness can come from anywhere. From anyone. From a rat."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I met you. A rat. A rat who changed my life. Who changed all our lives."

"Cooking is not about being perfect. It's about being present. It's about being in the moment. It's about being alive."

"The most important thing I've learned is that you can't judge a book by its cover. Or a chef by his species. Or a meal by its appearance."

"I may not look like much. I may not come from much. But I have something that no one can take away. I have passion. I have love. I have cooking."

"The future is not something we wait for. It's something we create. With our hands. With our hearts. With our food."

"Anyone can cook. But only the fearless can be great. I am fearless. I am great. I am a chef."