One of Jack Black’s most iconic comedy roles is Jared Hess’ sophomore directorial effort, Nacho Libre. The story follows a cook in a monastery orphanage who cooks by day and wrestles as a masked luchador by night. The film may not have had a huge box office total, but it remains beloved by fans. There are so many hilarious Nacho Libre quotes scattered throughout the film, and, from Ignacio’s humble beginnings as a luchador to his triumphant win over Ramses, the film is full of heart, hope, and flatulence-related humor.
Jack Black has proven to be a bit of a controversial star over the years. While he’s had leading roles in iconic comedies like School of Rock, he’s also been in bummers like Gulliver’s Travels. That said, he’s resurrected his career in recent years thanks to his role in the Jumanji reboot series. Of course, his low-brow style of humor often appeals to kids, which made him perfect for his role in 2006’s Nacho Libre. The movie didn’t go down as the best of his long career, but fans of Jack Black are still saying the funniest Nacho Libre quotes fifteen years after the movie first debuted.
20 “I Saw A Bum Here.”
Nacho
Nacho usually has a pretty hard time hiding his double life. Not only does he have the kids to watch out for, but he also has to keep his true self from his love interest and colleague, Sister Encarnacion.
It’s fair to say that Nacho’s excuses as to why he’s always running off aren’t always the best. One of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes is evidence of this as he tries to lead Encarnacion away from the fold by convincing her that he saw two bums in need of hearing the gospel. He tries to suggest he’s helping out his religion, as he was, allegedly, spreading the good word to a destitute fellow, but, as is often the case, his white lies remain unconvincing.
19 “They Tried To Convert Each Other, But They Got Married, Instead—Then, They Died.”
Nacho
When Ignacio meets Sister Encarnacion in her room in one of Jack Black’s best movies, the two make awkward conversation while eating toast. Prompted by Encarnacion, Ignacio explains his backstory, detailing how his parents—being from very different backgrounds—came to meet.
In one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes, he tells her that, though they tried to convert each other, they ended up married. He then curtly tells her that they died before whipping out a picture of the two that he had stuffed in his robe. It’s one of those lines that is made much funnier by the way Jack Black says it, rather than the line itself.
18 “Beneath The Clothes, We Find A Man, And Beneath The Man We Find His… Nucleus.”
Nacho
Nacho is always trying to impress the good sister, and, when Sister Encarnacion catches him in his expensive-looking “recreational clothes,” he tries to remind her that no matter how impressive he is, he is still just a man. It’s looked down upon for a man of Ignacio’s stature to own expensive clothes, so Nacho tries to explain it away.
It’s one of the stranger Nacho Libre quotes, and he clearly doesn’t know where he’s going with it. As he tries to break himself down further, he manages to get to the “nucleus,” which evidently doesn’t make much sense to Sister Encarnacion — or to the audience.
17 “Tonight, We Are Going Up Against Satan’s Cavemen, And I Just Thought It Might Be A Good Idea If You Praise The Lord.”
Nacho
The subject of religion is a point of contention between Ignacio and his luchador partner in the professional wrestling movie. While Ignacio is firm in his faith, Esqueleto repeatedly states that he’s a man of science.
Ignacio raises the issue before a Luchador match, but Esqueleto isn’t moved. Worried about his friend’s salvation, Nacho fills a bowl with water and quickly dunks his partner’s head in it several times while shouting one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes, granting him an emergency baptism ahead of the match.
16 “Jesse, I Owe You 4.99 Plus Tax.”
Nacho
Nacho tries to be a man of the people, but very few within the monastery actually like him. Perhaps it’s because of his quirks or his poor cooking, but no one locally really gets along with him.
Of course, he eventually turns the public around, thanks to his alter-ego. The eagle-inspired wrestler tries his best to do right by people, though, even offering up tax on the money he owes in one of the most hilarious Nacho Libre quotes.
15 “I Am Singing At This Party.”
Nacho
In one of the few movies that utilized wrestling to perfection, Nacho loves to sing, but he doesn’t do so well when he’s put on the spot. When he’s in the middle of a party celebrating the legend that is his nemesis Ramses, he’s thrown into a situation where he has to sing a song.
With a confused band behind him, Nacho starts singing about… well, singing at the party. One of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes doesn’t go down well with his guest of honor, who throws a drink straight in his face. However, the scene does get to see Jack Black show off his musical skills, even if the improv song has the worst lyrics.
14 “Get That Corn Outta My Face!”
Nacho
Jokes about things to the face often come up in the film. Whether it’s a drink to the face or a punch to the face, Nacho has quite an obsession with personal space.
When in the middle of an angry moment, his friend Esqueleto offers him some corn on a stick. In a moment of frustration Nacho yells at him, swatting away the corn and creating one of the most iconic Nacho Libre quotes to be memed for quite some time after.
13 “I Don’t Want To Get Paid To Lose! I Wanna Win!”
Nacho
Nacho gives his all to becoming a luchador in one of Jack Black’s best movie roles since School of Rock, but he struggles for most of the movie to become truly great. At first, it is enough for him to show up to wrestling matches and lose because he’s still getting money at the end of the day, and that money is allowing him to make better meals for the kids at the orphanage.
As the film progresses, Nacho becomes discouraged and tells his wrestling partner he just wants to win for a change in one of the more sadder Nacho Libre quotes. While Nacho Libre doesn’t come across as a very serious competitor, always coming up short can bring out the worst in anyone.
12 “They Gave Me No Nutrients!”
Nacho
In an attempt to better his wrestling skills, Nacho follows the advice of Steven’s friend and goes on a short quest for an eagle egg. The whole sidebar is a ridiculous display, but it leads to one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes, regardless. Steven’s friend insists that, if Nacho eats the yolk of the egg, he will be endowed with the powers of an eagle.
To Nacho’s dismay, despite accomplishing this, he sees no improvement in his performance. After another loss in the ring, he tells Steven that the eggs were a lie. “They gave me no nutrients,” Nacho blurts out. Perhaps the advice wasn’t as sage as it seemed.
11 “Hey! Take It Easy!”
Nacho
On Nacho’s first night in the ring, he goes in a little overconfident. He decides to send Steven in on his own in the ring while he tries to garner the audience’s affection. He becomes so caught up in this that he is completely oblivious to the torture Steven is enduring in the ring.
Once Nacho eventually turns around and sees what’s happening, he’s aghast. “Hey! Take it easy!” he yells at the other wrestler. It’s such a mild response to the beating that Esqueleto is enduring, which is why it’s one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes. He does his best to avenge Steven’s beating, but he ends up taking one of his own.
10 “Be Grateful, Juan Pablo. Today Is Especially Delicious.”
Nacho
Fans don’t know exactly what kind of ingredients Nacho has to work with daily at the orphanage, but they do know that they’re pretty subpar. In one of the early scenes of the film, audiences see him dishing out lunch to everyone at the orphanage. No one is particularly happy to have it, and one boy, Juan Pablo, expresses his dismay to Nacho.
“Can’t we just have a salad for once?” Juan Pablo asks Nacho. “Be grateful, Juan Pablo. Today is especially delicious,” Nacho tries to reassure him. Then Nacho tries the concoction himself, practically choking on it and sending it through his nose. Once again one of the reasons its one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes is due to Jack Black’s delivery and his own reaction to the food afterward. Nacho tries to help the orphans make the best of their situation, but he isn’t always successful.
9 “Everything You Just Said, Is My Favorite Thing To Do, Every Day!”
Nacho
When Sister Encarnacion arrives at the monastery/orphanage, she immediately gets on Nacho’s radar. One evening, he awkwardly approaches her in her room and asks if he can come in, and Encarnacion reluctantly agrees. As they share some toast, Nacho tries to get to know her better. He asks her to tell him about herself, and she gives him a list of her favorite things.
After a few of them, he stops her and tells her he likes the very same things as her, leading to one of the most endearing Nacho Libre quotes. It’s clear just how much he likes Encarnacion, and Nacho may be fairly new to romance, but, even for a beginner, he’s failing pretty spectacularly. Nacho and Encarnacion obviously don’t end up together in the end, but Jack Black has expressed he wants to make Nacho Libre 2, so there’s always time.
8 “My Life Is Good! Really Good!”
Nacho
Whether it’s in front of friends, parents, or random acquaintances, everyone has faked how they feel about their lives at some point. When Nacho sees some of the orphans wrestling each other, he puts a stop to it and tries to give them a spiel about why wrestling is wrong.
He talks about a lot of things he does that, to many, wouldn’t seem ideal, but he ends by saying, “my life is good! Really good!” One of the best Nacho Libre quotes is born out of a completely relatable feeling, and the grimace through which Jack Black says the line makes it all the funnier. Nacho’s intentions may be good, but, in truth, he’s no more content than the kids he’s meant to be scolding in this scene.
7 “It’s For Fun!”
Nacho
Nacho does his best to keep his wrestling pursuits under wraps, as it would most certainly be frowned upon by the church. However, eventually, one of the orphans, spots him trying on his wrestling costume.
Nacho tries to make an excuse for his outfit in a panic by saying that, when you’re a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants. It’s a terrible excuse for a lie, but one of the more memorable Nacho Libre quotes. In the end, the orphan Chanco promises Nacho he’ll keep his wrestling a secret.
6 “It Is In The Bible, Not To Wrestle Your Neighbor.”
Nacho
Nacho dreams of becoming a famous Luchador, but the orphanage in which he lives and works as a priest forbids it, believing the practice to be vain. Though Ignacio does his best to follow his teachings, he’s not great at concealing his true desires.
When Sister Encarnacion catches a group of orphans pretending to be Lucahdors, she asks Ignacio to reprimand them. Before rambling about how much he likes his life at the orphanage, he tells the children that “it is in the bible to not wrestle your neighbor.” As audiences know, Ignacio knows a “buttload of crap” about the gospel, and its this vast knowledge that leads to one of the funnier Nacho Libre quotes.
5 “I Ate Some Bugs, I Ate Some Grass. I Used My Hand To Wipe My Tears.”
Nacho
Much of the humor in Nacho Libre stems from Ignacio’s awful attempts at wooing Sister Encarnacion. He claims to have written a song about his feelings for her during his time in the “wilderness” which he performs for Esequeleto.
In it, he recounts his time spent away from the orphanage, using this line to convey how difficult the experience was for him. Jack Black may have some genuine talent as a musician, but his character certainly doesn’t have any skills as a lyricist. One of the funnier Nacho Libre quotes is a classic bait and switch, with the same joke being used in the “Welcome to Duloc” song in Shrek.
4 “It Sucks To Be Me Right Now!”
Nacho
Jack Black’s Nacho makes plenty of mistakes during the course of the movie, but perhaps his worst is meeting his wrestling idol, Ramses. When he sneaks into a party to get a chance to meet Ramses, the wrestler completely disregards Nacho, and is even cruel to him.
The next morning when Nacho and Steven return to the monastery/orphanage, Nacho feels discouraged by his encounter with Ramses and the losing streak they can’t seem to break. Nacho tells Steven that “it sucks to be me right now!” One of the sadder yet funnier Nacho Libre quotes gets its comedic edge from Black’s delivery of the all-too-relatable line.
3 “I Don’t Believe In God, I Believe In Science!”
Esqueleto
On the first night that Nacho and Steven go to wrestle in the village, they don’t quite have their act together. They’ve done some DIY training, but it is not nearly enough to prepare them for this night.
Before the match starts, Nacho encourages Steven to pray to God for strength. Steven simply responds, “I don’t believe in God. I believe in science.” It’s the timing and actor Héctor Jiménez’s delivery that makes this one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes. It’s also the perfect illustration of the disconnect between Nacho and Steven and how far they will have to go to truly become a team.
2 “Did You Not Tell Them They Were The Lord’s Chips?”
Guillermo
Most of the priests in the monastery seem to be pretty decent fellows, but, one of them, Guillermo, isn’t a fan of Nacho — and perhaps not without reason. After Nacho completely misses his bowl while serving Guillermo, he expresses his disgust with Nacho’s cooking, resulting in one of the funniest Nacho Libre quotes.
Nacho tries to describe his plight with the lack of good ingredients for cooking and that his chips were stolen by a thief. Guillermo asks Nacho, “did you not tell him they were the Lord’s chips?” Surely the thief wouldn’t have taken the chips if he’d just known.
1 “They Don’t Think I Know A Buttload Of Crap About The Gospel, But I Do.”
Nacho
Ignacio may be kind-hearted, but he’s not particularly articulate. Explaining to Sister Encarnacion his duties at the orphanage, he explains that he makes soup, but the brothers won’t give him money for fresh ingredients, nor do they give him much respect.
He attempts to defend himself with one of the funniest Nacho Librequotes, stating that, “they think I don’t know a buttload of crap about the Gospel, but I do,” which is an elegant way of voicing his frustrations. Sister Encarnacion was assuredly swayed by that poignant quote, and so many years after it was released, it remains easily the best in the movie.