The funniest every Shrek movie contains quotable moments that will be ed for many generations.
With Shrek 5 in development, it seems as if the big green ogre's place in pop culture isn't soon to be relinquished. Shrek made DreamWorks Animation a household name, and, over 20 years and four films later, they remain as influential as ever. It's been a full decade since Shrek Forever After, the franchise's most recent entry, premiered. But audiences are always ready for more witty quips and dry jokes from this hapless hero of fabricated folklore. While waiting for Shrek 5, fans can return to the kingdom of Far, Far Away to relive some of the best Shrek quotes.
Shrek Movies |
Release Date |
---|---|
Shrek |
May 18, 2001 |
Shrek 2 |
May 19, 2004 |
Shrek the Third |
May 18, 2007 |
Shrek Forever After |
May 21, 2010 |
35 "A Stack Of Freshly Made Waffles In The Middle Of The Forest?"
Shrek Forever After
The Shrek movies are known for their meta references to fairy tale tropes, and many of the funniest Shrek quotes come when the franchise leans into its roots as a satire of classic stories. For example, in Shrek Forever After, as the title character and Donkey are out in the woods and see a beautiful stack of waffles, Donkey is excited. But Shrek can see that it's some kind of ploy.
In an old Hans Christian Andersen story, the characters would blindly fall for a trick like this. However, Shrek points out how absurd and on-the-nose this trick is. Still, Donkey's dumb enough to fall for it – and he established his love of waffles as far back as the first movie. The fun here is that Shrek, considered one of the least intelligent of the many fairy tale creatures, can often see right through genre tropes and is always ready to point it out, although other characters ignore him (especially Donkey).
34 "I Already Had A Big Bowl Of Curly-Toed Weirdo For Breakfast."
Shrek Forever After
Given his appearance, Shrek finds that many people assume the worst after meeting him. After a while, however, he embraces their presumptions about him, often replying to their fears with witty retorts. This was certainly the case the first time he met Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek: Forever After, who wondered if the ogre would eat him. This is clearly an assumption based on Shrek being an ogre and having a bad reputation as a result, but Shrek is quickly able to throw an insult right back at the guy.
Though Shrek replies to Rumpelstiltskin's panicked cries with a great retort, this line still shows how difficult his life is when dealing with those who fear him. Luckily, Shrek has mostly let things roll off his shoulders, as when he says this great quote, he is just fixing his wagon and doesn't seem to care that he was just offhandedly insulted by Rumpelstiltskin.
33 "Inside, Waiting For Us To Rescue Her."
Shrek
As Shrek and Donkey explore the formidable tower, Donkey wonders where the rumored dragon is and says, "So where is this fire-breathin' pain in the neck, anyway?" Shrek quips, "Inside, waiting for us to rescue her." Of course, Donkey gives his traveling companion some bombastic side-eye for this little remark and emphasizes that he was calling the dragon a "pain in the neck" and not the princess.
It's one of the many character-defining Shrek quotes. Shrek immediately assumed that Fiona would not be someone he wanted anything to do with based on previous interactions with humans. That made the fact that he fell in love with her so surprising. This quote also shows how reluctant Shrek is as a hero, heading in to rescue the princess since he saw her as no better or maybe even worse than the dragon.

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32 "If You Think This Whole Mad Scene Ain't Dope, I Feel You, Dude."
Shrek The Third
One of Shrek's best quotes in the franchise comes from an interaction with Artie in Shrek the Third. Though Shrek seems to have a good sense of what it is like to be a teenager, he certainly doesn't have the appropriate lingo for it. In a feeble attempt to relate to Artie, Shrek dusts off some old phrases and makes up a few new ones. What makes it work even better is that Donkey and Puss in Boots give each other looks, and if Donkey is vicariously embarrassed by Sherk's quotes, it has to be bad.
Watching the grumpy ogre attempt to see eye-to-eye with a typical high schooler will never get old, especially after he crashes and burns, setting up one of Artie's best lines:
"I've been kidnapped by a monster who's trying to relate to me!"
31 "I Like My Privacy."
Shrek
Shrek's privacy is the most important thing to him when the audience first meets him during the first installment in the Shrek franchise, and he says as much when Donkey follows him to Shrek's swamp. Donkey comments on the ogre's warning signs placed on the outskirts of the swamp, and Shrek explains how he likes living alone with no one bothering him.
Shrek won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2001, and the movie was the first recipient of the award.
Thankfully, that changes as the movie goes on, but this quote sums up Shrek's personality at the beginning. The focus of the entire Shrek franchise shows how the ogre went from someone who hated to be around others and preferred loneliness to a person with friends, family, and loved ones that he would do anything to protect and hold onto. Without this early character trait, none of that would mean as much.
30 "I Didn't Know We Could Do That."
Shrek Forever After
Shrek discovers an entirely new ability when he meets his ogre brethren in Shrek Forever After. Shrek is confused when he ends up in an alternate timeline and meets Fiona, now in charge of an ogre militia bent on ending Rumpelstiltskin's reign. Brogan is the first to greet Shrek, welcoming him to the resistance. This situation is already unusual for Shrek, as he isn't used to being around other ogres, especially ones who know more about his own species than he does.
When Shrek questions Brogan about this resistance they are battling, Brogan states that they fight for oppressed ogres everywhere. Then he holds his nose and blows, causing his ears to act as a trumpet. The rest of the ogres follow suit, and Shrek shockingly its he had no idea he had that ability, clearly impressed with the new talent. It is clear Shrek will likely try this the first chance he gets.

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29 "Well, My Stomach Aches And My Palms Just Got Sweaty, Must Be A High School."
Shrek The Third
The funniest Shrek quotes aren't relegated just to the first film. In Shrek the Third, Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots learn that the future King Arthur is in Worcestershire. As Donkey pontificates about what the place may be, Shrek notes a familiar feeling, with his stomachache and sweaty palms confirming that Worcestershire is a high school. When they arrive, Shrek shows that he knows what he is talking about, and things get even more difficult from there.
Even though Shrek wasn't shown attending high school in his teenage years, this line is nonetheless spot-on for anyone who has. Shrek's signature sarcasm and reliability once again deliver one of his funniest lines in the franchise. From Shrek's comments, if he did attend high school as a youngster, it's clear he does not have fond memories of it, making him more relatable than ever for viewers at home.
28 " The Club. We Got Jackets."
Shrek 2
Some of the best Shrek quotes usually involve the title character being wildly misunderstood. The same goes for this Shrek 2 gem, as Puss in Boots soon realizes that Shrek isn't as easy to defeat as initially thought. Harold initially sent Puss in Boots to assassinate Shrek. Once Puss in Boots realizes he's no match for Shrek, he says, "Stop, ogre! I have misjudged you."
Shrek busts out one of the funniest Shrek quotes, saying, " the club, we got jackets." It's yet another reminder that Shrek is used to being misjudged to the point he's become sarcastic about it. However, by this time, Shrek knows he is not alone and also realizes that Donkey is often just as misjudged as he is, and the two are a duo now, which explains the need for the theoretical jackets.
27 "It's Time To Pack Up Your Toothbrush And Jammies. You're The New King Of Far Far Away."
Shrek The Third
Following in the traditions of the fairy tales that inspired them, the Shrek movies usually revolve around Shrek and Donkey going on quests, and it's from these experiences that the best Shrek quotes are born. In Shrek the Third, Shrek and Donkey seek the heir to Fiona's father's throne after he dies. The heir's name is Arthur — or "Artie," and he's played by Justin Timberlake.
When Shrek arrives at Artie's school to take him back to Far Far Away to claim his throne, the other students assume he's there to eat him — and then they're disappointed that he's not. This is a moment where people once again stereotyped Shrek, but in a way that insulted someone else (Artie), and once again, Shrek was there to throw around more deflective insults in response to the crowd's comments.
26 "Cute, Button Nose? Thick, Wavy Locks? Taut, Round Buttocks?"
Shrek 2
Shrek's twist came halfway through the first movie when Fiona was revealed to have been cursed to be an ogre unless she received true love's kiss. So, it made sense to flip that twist in the sequel and have Shrek drink a potion that turns him into a handsome human, prompting one of Shrek's funniest quotes.
As he wakes up and discovers his human features — and that Donkey is now a majestic white stallion — he lists off everything attractive about his new body, such as an adorable nose, a thick head of hair, and a "taut" rear end. The entire moment was funny, mostly because Shrek has always been self-deprecating about himself, and seeing him realize that he has new "hot" qualities almost seems ludicrous. It almost sounds like he is still mocking himself, even in this moment.