25 We Bought a Zoo Quotes That You’ll Love Effortlessly

Get ready for some We Bought a Zoo quotes that will never leave your head!

Of all family matters, the death of a loved one might be one of the hardest to overcome. This is even more so when the one who’s passed away was the light of one’s home. In We Bought a Zoo, the Mee family struggles to move on from the death of Katherine, Benjamin’s wife and the mother of his children.

Benjamin Mee wanted to start a new life free from grief. So, they hunt for houses, and none seem to be perfect for them. That is until one of his children fell in love with a large old house.

Everything about the place was perfect for the Mee family. There’s just one twist: they must also buy the rundown zoo attached to it! A typical household would have given up on that choice, but not Benjamin and his kids.

He purchased the house and bought the zoo along with it! Though this might be a crazy act for most, it symbolizes his courage and willingness to move forward despite his pain. We’ve collected the best We Bought a Zoo quotes below, so don’t miss out so you can understand Mee’s decisions!

Let’s go.

And make sure to read these Hot Fuzz quotes and Beverly Hills Cop quotes.

Best We Bought a Zoo Quotes

1. “You know what? Bad things happen. You just keep going.” – Delbert McGinty

2. “You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” – Benjamin Mee

3. “I’m a big fan of people being exactly who they are.” – Kelly Foster

4. Duncan Mee: “Attempt to start over.”

Benjamin Mee: “I shall try to start over.”

5. “I like the animals, but I love the humans.” – Duncan Mee

6. Benjamin Mee: “It is what it is.”

Mr. Stevens: “It is what it is. Sometimes you don’t know what it is until you see what it is, you know? Once you see what it is then you can figure out what it is. You understand?”

Benjamin Mee: “No, but we can move on.”

7. Benjamin Mee: “This place is perfect! Why didn’t you mention it earlier?”

Mr. Stevens: “It’s a bit complicated.”

Benjamin Mee: “Complicated’s okay. What’s so complicated about this place?”

Mr. Stevens: “Well, you see, it’s uh—it’s a zoo.”

Rosie Mee: “Yay!”

Mr. Stevens: “Yay.”

8. Kelly Foster: “We need somebody who can take charge of this place, or else we and all these animals are gone.”

Benjamin Mee: “So your question is—.”

Kelly Foster: “Why did you buy this place?”

Benjamin Mee: “Why not?”

9. Benjamin Mee: “Why would an amazing woman like you even talk to someone like me?”

Katherine Mee: “Why not?”

10. Benjamin Mee: “I want you to know, I think you’re incredibly pretty. Please don’t take offense if I don’t hit on you.”

Kelly Foster: “I’d be offended if you did.”

Benjamin Mee: “Good.”

We Bought a Zoo Quotes That Are Simply Hilarious

11. “At the risk of stating the obvious, you’re insane.” – Duncan Mee

12. “Their happy is too loud.” – Benjamin Mee

13. “I would like to declare us all modern-day adventurers. And sponsors of animal greatness!” – Benjamin Mee

14. Benjamin Mee: “Hey, Rosie, am I doing anything right?”

Rosie Mee: “You’re handsomer than the other dads. Lots of them don’t have hair. So that’s good.”

15. “I salute you and the great times we had together, and I quit!” – Benjamin Mee

We Bought a Zoo Quotes to Bring You a Sense of Nostalgia

16. Benjamin Mee: “You know what? ‘Whatever’ is the laziest word of the 20th century, alright? I’ve had it with whatever! I don’t want to hear it again in this century, ever again. ‘Whatever’ is over!”

Rosie Mee: “He says it all the time. He won’t have anything left to say in this century.”

Benjamin Mee: “I’m not letting you out of the car until I get a new word.”

17. Duncan Mee: “I said ‘human’ interaction. This is what happens when people have a you-know-what occur in their lives. They wake up one day, and they say, ‘I’m going to quit my job and try something completely different with my life.’ But then they wake up another day, and they say to themselves, ‘Thank God my older brother didn’t let me blow Dad’s inheritance by buying a broken-down zoo in the country nine miles from the nearest Target store.’”

Benjamin Mee: “But maybe my older brother didn’t see this place.”

18. Benjamin Mee: “You seem really calm.”

Peter MacCready: “Ah.”

Benjamin Mee: “Have you been drinking?”

Peter MacCready: “All night long.”

Benjamin Mee: “Thanks for that.”

Peter MacCready: “Anytime.”

19. Dylan Mee: “I never know what to say to you.”

Benjamin Mee: “I’m the same way. Why don’t we just tell each other what we wish the other guy would say?”

Dylan Mee: “I’m sorry I brought you out to the sticks.”

Benjamin Mee: “You’re a great dad.”

20. Dylan Mee: “It’s like he was expelling me for my artwork.”

Benjamin Mee: “I can live almost with the artwork. I mean, if Charles Manson needed a personal muralist, you’d be the guy.”

Other We Bought a Zoo Quotes for Those Who Read the Memoir

21. “What I’ve figured out is that when you love somebody that much—that hard, that long—you can never get away from them, no matter where you go. And that only comes once in a lifetime. Just can’t get a handle on it. I cannot let go.” – Benjamin Mee, Author

22. “If you’re doing something for the right reasons, nothing can stop you.” – Benjamin Mee, Author

23. “Well, talking to girls is easy. They’ll tell you everything. The secret to talking is listening.” – Benjamin Mee, Author

24. “Throwing yourself into worthwhile, fruitful hard work that you believe in—as much as you can handle and more—is a kind of luxury not everyone gets to experience.” – Benjamin Mee, Author

25. “You know, everybody here thinks you’re a dick. I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think that.” – Benjamin Mee, Author

What’s the First Step to Overcoming Any Bad Memory?

Many grow up believing that life is all colors and rainbows. However, know that grief, loss, or any pain will strike you at one point or another. These downsides are inescapable, as they are part of what makes us who we are.

Although that’s the case, life doesn’t give us these challenges to make us bend to its will. Instead, we face them to become stronger, learn how to move forward, and build the courage to keep going.

In the movie, Benjamin takes a leap of faith and buys a house with a zoo attached to it. It’s crazy to think about, but it’s the movie’s way of reminding us that sometimes, we just have to have the courage to do something out of character. By doing so, we allow more new opportunities to fill our lives.

We Bought a Zoo is an inspiring story about grief and accepting that life is not all good days. No matter how true that statement is, let’s all keep in mind that positive days are ahead if we just brave all the storms!

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.