Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes

Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.

I do love to cry. I'll cry at the drop of a hat. I'll cry at your basic television programme, let alone a weepie. But not big, heavy, serious crying. I haven't done that for a while, which is a relief. More like a little welling up of joy.

I think I'm like Marmite; you either love me or you hate me.

Laughing and crying are very similar. They're an extreme response to life. You see it in children who start laughing hysterically.

I'm really easily affected by horror films. I have pretty strong reactions to them.

I love the way you can fall in love with a piece of literature; how words alone can get your heart doing that.

I cannot pretend to be impartial about the colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns.

I feel things deeply.

I know that a man who shows me his wealth is like the beggar who shows me his poverty; they are both looking for alms from me, the rich man for the alms of my envy, the poor man for the alms of my guilt.

I think some of the things I deal with Hopper probably has dealt with also, since it's somewhat the same environment and I have pretty strong reactions to what this country looks like. It looks pretty dull and spare, and you like this and dislike it and it's very complicated.

All of the religions are looking after the poor. At least leave me alone to look after the rich. I am the rich man's guru.

People either hate my paintings or they love them. There does not seem to be much middle ground.

It is a great mystery that though the human heart longs for Truth, in which alone it finds liberation and delight, the first reaction of human beings to Truth is one of hostility and fear!

The revolution in Russia was victorious with the help of the poor peasants. This should always be borne in mind here in Western Europe and all the world over. But the workers in Western Europe stand alone: this should never be forgotten in Russia.

The amygdala is one of those brain structures that a lot of people know a little bit about, and there's a definite tendency to conflate the amygdala and the fear response itself - as if the amygdala, and the amygdala alone, 'causes' fear.

We made our entrance into Paris. As for honors, we received all that we could possibly imagine; but they, though very well in their way, were not what touched me most. What was really affecting was the tenderness and earnestness of the poor people, who, in spite of the taxes with which they are overwhelmed, were transported with joy at seeing us.

In England, we have this saying about Marmite: people either love it or hate it. That's like a lot of the movie work I've done. People either find it repulsive or find it really interesting and get engaged in it.

I don't want people to say, 'So, what do you think about that Cher?' and for them to reply, 'She's okay.' Okay is not good enough. I want them to either love me or to completely despise me - I mean, call me all the names under the sun. I love it.

I don't think people are monsters if they put ketchup on hot dogs, but I'm good without it. It's a debate that I don't get too hot-and-heavy with.

It's either love or hate with me. People really can hate me.

I know I create major reactions in people.

When something actually shocks me, that's when you know it's a great topic.

It's fun to be the guy that can be so polarising and have that effect on so many different people.

There is nothing worse than grilled vegetables.

The ferocity of passion that is engendered by people when they don't like what you've done is really tremendous. It's intense.