Wolfgang Puck Quotes

My agent called me and said, they watched you do Chopped Champions and they thought you'd be good for this competition. What do you think? And I said, well, what do you think? He said he thought it would be great and I said let's do it. When you decide to do this, you don't really think that you're going to win it. I thought it would be fun, good to test my mettle; games are fun like that. Why not? I'll try it.

My first season of 'MasterChef' was tricky. I took a risk going into TV. I was confident it was the right risk and confident I'd break down barriers as the first female judge - and one that was previously only known for the sweeter side of the kitchen.

I'm of the opinion that a duck does not change styles every time it crosses a state line. I think they sound the same way from Canada all the way to the coast. As far as championship calling... I realize that a duck could not win a world championship, and that's why I don't do that. When it comes to duck calling, our judges have wings.

I'm not out here to win a beauty contest.

I have great empathy for all the contestants that come on 'Top Chef,' whether they go home right away or they make it to the finish line. It's a very vulnerable position they put themselves in and I feel for them.

I did not even look at the scoreboard when my routine was done in 1976.

I was only 30 years old, and the second Mr. Olympia was probably the most outright win in the history of the sport. It literally took the judges two minutes to see the winner, and then they concentrated on who is coming second.

I'm confident that I can go in and fight for 12 rounds and win a decision.

I'll go for the knockout, and if we have to go 12 rounds, then I'll trust the judges to do their best work, and I will get the victory if I deserve it.

I don't like to leave anything in the hands of the judges.

Music is a beauty pageant. When I go put myself out there, I'm going to compete.

Basketball is just something else to do, another facet of life. I'm going to be a success at whatever I choose because of my preparation. By the time the game starts, the outcome has been decided. I never think about having a bad game because I have prepared.

There are quite a lot of people who think my aspirations are not possible. That's a good thing. We don't need to really worry about these people very much, because since they don't think it's possible they won't take us very seriously- and they will not actually try to stop us until it's too late.

Steve Jobs has a great speech where he talks about how the wrong turns in his life truly set him on the path that he needed to be on. Anyway, what do I do? I bake. I'm pretty competitive about my chocolate chip banana bread. I don't think anyone can believe how good it is. It's really on another level.

I would like to compare football and cinema. I think it's very similar. It's two games... different games. You have to work very hard and find the confidence to enjoy it on the pitch or in the film.

I hadn't a clue who I was racing against. All I knew was how I was going to race.

I'm obviously coming out of the Australian summer with amazing momentum, knowing I can pretty much hang in there with anybody and even beat some of the best players. So for me, it's definitely a good feeling, I think.

Anybody who watched football last year knows they're good. But that represents a very good opportunity for us. It really does. I think somehow, if we're able to pull that off, I think it will go a long way for our confidence. I look at it as a great opportunity, and hopefully we'll be at our best when we get there.

The coaches of some players who are my own age keep saying publically about me: "This guy is going to be one of the greats." I am clever enough to know that they do not truthfully think so. They are trying to shake my confidence. Of course, this is a matter of tactics.

What you're experiencing now [on "MasterChef," on "Junior"] is what life's going to be like for the next four, five decades. You're going to go through those bumps. Bringing you back in contention and giving you that kind of confidence, they're huge. But they let it go, there's no fear, they're naughty, they're rude, and they know there's no parents and there's no school teacher so they can have fun, and it shows.

Not to be egotistical, but I don't think there is a man on this planet who can beat me

But then I lock back in and I start thinking about how fun it is to compete during the playoffs and the first round, the second round, and Eastern Conference Finals. If I'm lucky enough to get here again, it will be fun to do it.

Maccarinelli thinks he can use me to make a name for himself, but that is not going to happen. He has made his fame by fighting nobodies. I've fought all the way to the top against top contenders.

Everybody hates lawyers, but they don't realize judges are just lawyers with a promotion. Think about it.

The competition, the naysayers, the owners who talk too much. The people who don't think a 36-year-old can do what I do. I take a lot of pride in my craft, I work really hard at my craft everyday, and I'm a true professional.