Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (French Lawyer, Gourmet)

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755–1826) was a French lawyer, politician, and gastronome renowned for his influential work on the philosophy of food and his contributions to culinary literature. His writings remain essential reading for those interested in the connections between food, culture, and philosophy. His famous aphorism, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are,” encapsulates his belief that food is central to understanding human identity and society.

Born in Belley, France, Brillat-Savarin studied law and practiced as a lawyer, but his passion for food, health, and the sciences eventually led him to focus on gastronomy. He was also politically active, serving as a member of the National Assembly during the French Revolution and holding various legal and administrative positions.

His most celebrated work, The Physiology of Taste (La Physiologie du Goût,) was published in 1825, just a year before his death. This seminal text explores the cultural, psychological, and philosophical dimensions of eating and taste, highlighting the pleasures and intricacies of food. Regarded as a foundational work in gastronomic literature, the book blends humor, wit, and deep insight into the human relationship with food, influencing generations of chefs, food critics, and culinary enthusiasts.

Brillat-Savarin also wrote about law and political economy, including Vues et Projets d’Économie Politique (1802; Political Economy: Plans and Prospects) and Fragments d’un Ouvrage Manuscrit Intitulé Théorie Judiciaire (1818; Fragments of a Work in Manuscript Entitled “Legal Theory”.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Animals feed; man eats.—Only the man of intellect and judgment knows how to eat.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Topics: Appetite

Those who have been too long at their labor, who have drunk too long at the cup of voluptuousness, who feel they have become temporarily inhumane, who are tormented by their families, who find life sad and love ephemeral; they should all eat chocolate and they will be comforted.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

The most indispensable qualification of a cook is punctuality. The same must be said of guests.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Topics: Punctuality

Tell me what you eat, I’ll tell you who you are.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Topics: One liners, Eating

Liqueurs were not lacking; but the coffee especially deserves mention. It was as clear as crystal, aromatic and wonderfully hot; but, above all, it was not handed around in those wretched vessels called cups on the left banks of the Seine, but in beautiful and capacious bowls, into which the thick lips of the reverend fathers plunged, engulfing the refreshing beverage with a noise that would have done honor to sperm-whales before a storm.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

If one swallows a cup of chocolate only three hours after a copious lunch, everything will be perfectly digested and there will still be room for dinner.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

You first parents of the human race … who ruined yourselves for an apple, what might you not have done for a truffled turkey?
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Topics: Man

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