Top 35 Martin Yan Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play.”

— Martin Yan

Featured in: Friday Quotes for Work, Satisfaction Quotes, Joy Quotes

2. “I live a very low-key life.”

— Martin Yan

3. “People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live.”

— Martin Yan

4. “I think a lot of times it’s not money that’s the primary motivation factor; it’s the passion for your job and the professional and personal satisfaction that you get out of doing what you do that motivates you.”

— Martin Yan

5. “I enjoy the quiet life.”

— Martin Yan

6. “You can do almost anything with soup stock, it’s like a strong foundation. When you have the right foundation, everything tastes good.”

— Martin Yan

7. “Soy sauce is really a multi-purpose seasoning.”

— Martin Yan

8. “If I could only have one type of food with me, I would bring soy sauce. The reason being that if I have soy sauce, I can flavor a lot of things.”

— Martin Yan

9. “When you have a good stock, you can make a good soup.”

— Martin Yan

10. “I have a lot of cooking tools. In fact I have a whole drawer full of knives. Cooking tools, especially cutlery, are my toys.”

— Martin Yan

11. “I don’t like to waste anything. Any food left over from the night before is always eaten the next day.”

— Martin Yan

12. “I’ve never considered myself a celebrity or even part of the entertainment business. I’m a cooking teacher.”

— Martin Yan

13. “Happiness is within. It has nothing to do with how much applause you get or how many people praise you. Happiness comes when you believe that you have done something truly meaningful.”

— Martin Yan

14. “I also have a lot of preserved foods, things that will keep for a long time like dried fish, seaweed or lotus seed.”

— Martin Yan

15. “Some people never contribute anything positive to society, they may even drain our resources, but most of us try to do something better, to give back.”

— Martin Yan

16. “So when I do Chinese cooking, I mix everything together, then the kids have to eat their vegetables. They won’t have the patience to pick them out.”

— Martin Yan

17. “A lot of people don’t enjoy their job, they may even hate it, but I am lucky enough to be able to make a living through my passion.”

— Martin Yan

18. “Chinese culture has a lot of virtues that are tremendously valuable to not only us as Asian-Americans, but also the world in general.”

— Martin Yan

19. “At thirteen, when I arrived in Hong Kong after leaving China, I made a living by working in a restaurant.”

— Martin Yan

20. “Why is America such a great country. It is because we stand united.”

— Martin Yan

21. “I remember when I was in college, I used to watch Julia Child’s cooking show during dinner and joke with my roommates about becoming a TV chef.”

— Martin Yan

22. “Because normally with Western cuisine, you’ll serve vegetables separate from the meat, so kids will eat the meat and never touch the vegetables.”

— Martin Yan

23. “I can represent my culture while helping not only the Chinese-American community, but also the community at large.”

— Martin Yan

24. “I am just a normal professional with a great job and a great life.”

— Martin Yan

25. “You don’t have to show people how successful you are.”

— Martin Yan

26. “In general I love to eat anything. I enjoy anything that is well prepared, a good spaghetti, lasagna, taco, steak, sushi, refried beans.”

— Martin Yan

27. “I normally don’t eat junk food.”

— Martin Yan

28. “The problem with a lot of Chinese is that they put up divisions between Taiwanese, Hong Kong natives, mainlanders. We are never united. I really hope that the Chinese can be more united.”

— Martin Yan

29. “As long as the food is well prepared and not overdone, I think it tastes good. It doesn’t matter if it’s Chinese, Japanese, anything.”

— Martin Yan

30. “The hoopla, the applause, the praises have never excited me.”

— Martin Yan

31. “The only thing that counts is if you know how to prepare your ingredients. Even if with the best and freshest ingredients in the world, if your dish is tasteless or burnt, it’s ruined.”

— Martin Yan

32. “Just like if you were brought up on a farm, you would most likely carry on your father’s business as a farmer; I was brought up in the kitchen and ended up becoming a chef.”

— Martin Yan

33. “First of all, I can’t really claim to be a great chef.”

— Martin Yan

34. “Well, you know, if you get into the profession because you think you can make a lot of money, you can never become successful.”

— Martin Yan

35. “I think being famous is more of a hindrance, a constraint, than just letting yourself be free.”

— Martin Yan

36. “When I retire or pass away, I will be able to look back and say that this has been an exciting life. That’s all that matters.”

— Martin Yan

37. “Anyone that has come to America past the age of eighteen will be able to understand when I say that you can never shake your accent.”

— Martin Yan