Zoolander is iconic because it combines ridiculousness with razor-sharp satire, capturing both the absurdity and allure of pop culture and fashion.

It thrives because it leans hard into being ridiculous. It’s self-aware without being smug and goofy without being dumb. Its over-the-top liners, insane plot (male model assassins???), and heart, make it one of those comedies that’s both clever and incredibly quotable.

Here are our favorite quotes from Zoolander:

1.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller): What is this? A center for ants?!

2.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller): There’s more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking.

3.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller): I can’t turn left.

4.

Mugatu (Will Ferrel): Hansel… so hot right now.

5.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller): If there is anything that this horrible tragedy can teach us, it’s that a male model’s life is a precious, precious commodity. Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features, it doesn’t mean that we too can’t not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.

6.

Hansel (Owen Wilson):  I wasn’t like every other kid, you know, who dreams about being an astronaut, I was always more interested in what bark was made out of on a tree.

7.

Hansel (Owen Wilson):  I care desperately about what I do. Do I know what product I’m selling? No. Do I know what I’m doing today? No. But I’m here, and I’m gonna give it my best shot.

8.

Mugatu (Will Ferrel): Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look, for Christ’s sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They’re the same face! Doesn’t anybody notice this? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! 

9.

Hansel (Owen Willson): I guess you can dere-lick my balls cap-E-tan.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller): I can Dere-lick my own balls, thank you very much.

10.

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller): Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking “‘wow, you’re ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career.’

11.

Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller): I’ve got a prostate the size of a honeydew and a head full of bad memories.