There's a layer of satisfaction that I get from cooking that is more than the work itself. I think when you're too competitive sometimes you can lose the joy of what you do.

It really helps if you've got something like cycling, walking, running or swimming that can let your body release all that tension and keep your muscles fit.

We [chefs] are competitive, although I think you need to be careful with competitiveness as it can become quite negative.

Being a sport star and a chef both require passion, commitment, work and natural ability.

Sometimes I think you can lose the joy in what you do. It becomes a sense of 'I've got to beat him, I've got to beat him,' and you lose your own sense of joy.

Chef means boss and in France you get an office chef and you get a chef on a building site, etc. So I'm a chef de cuisine, chef of the kitchen, and that means that I'm in charge of a team.

The work element comes into it as well - how much you train and how much work you put into your craft, in the same way a carpenter would perhaps work under a great teacher, etc.

The truth is, living in any society is difficult. Those who become desperate with a fractured sense of security are much more prone to being taken advantaged of.

Life is about connection, not perfection.

All you'll get from strangers is surface pleasantry or indifference. Only someone who loves you will criticize you.

There's no glory and no respect in making fun of the weak, the powerless.

The first duty of a newspaper is to be accurate. If it be accurate, it follows that it is fair.

Early genius, like early cabbage, does not head well.

As any artist can tell you, it is easier to reach perfection than to stop there.

Try something new each day. After all, we're given life to find it out. It doesn't last forever.

I had a lot of problems in my life. I've been a sickly kid, I had a strange life. They said I could have been blind, handicapped, asthmatic, there were all kind of different problems about me.

But a lot of writers - and I'm one of them - do tend to feel dissatisfied. It makes you a little hard to live with, but it's a goad and does keep you alert and restless.