Memorable Quotes from Goodfellas

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.

Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.

For us to live any other way was nuts.

I know there are women, like my best friends, who would have gotten out of there the minute their boyfriend gave them a gun to hide. But I didn’t. I got to admit the truth. It turned me on.

You don’t run your own crew until you prove yourself on the street.

When you grow up around a bunch of wise guys, you learn how to have a good time at a young age.

If you’re part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they’re going to kill you. It doesn’t happen that way. There weren’t any arguments or curses like in the movies. So your murderers come with smiles. They come as your friends, the people who have cared for you all of your life.

Today, everything is different. There’s no action. I have to wait around like everyone else.

One day, some of the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother’s groceries all the way home. You know why? It was out of respect.

I’m funny how? I mean funny, like I’m a clown, I amuse you?

For a second, I really thought I was dead. But when I woke up in the hospital, my mother was on one side of the bed, and my father was on the other. I realized I must’ve made it, because neither one of them ever visited me.

What do you mean I’m funny?… You mean the way I talk? What?… Funny how? I mean, what’s funny about it? What’s… Never mind. Get your fucking shine box.

When you’re in state custody, you don’t have a care in the world.

It was Jimmy who first appreciated what I had to offer. I can’t remember much before meeting him. Only fragments. But I remember Jimmy.

One minute I was a wiseguy, the next minute I was a schnook.

Money flows for me, and I take care of you, that’s how it works.

I don’t want it near schools. I don’t want it sold to children! In my city, we’d keep the traffic in the dark, people away from the schools, they’re animals anyway, so let them lose their souls.

I had to keep my old personality in check. I realized if I start kidding around, Jimmy might think I’m busting his balls, even though I was only kidding.

The guys who couldn’t touch us: the kids with silver spoons in their mouths, who couldn’t sing a note if you had your life depend on it.

Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning huh? Fuck you, pay me.

Now go get your fucking shine box.

That’s the only thing I have in this world. It’s the only thing that gives me a reason.

Never trust a gambler, Charlie, and never trust a woman who says she doesn’t like a gift, she always likes a gift!

You look like a schmuck, come on. The purpose of the tap is so that when they do find the wire, they’ll hopefully think it’s gone bad and stop looking.

All my life, I always wanted to be a gangster.

So the three of us collected the money. And then we had a little meal in San Vito’s.

We always called each other goodfellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody – – You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a good fella. He’s one of us.

And i like to cook, too, so the house was always filled with the smells of good food.

It was a glorious time.

Any problems, all I have to do is step outside, give myself a shake, and say Once upon a time in America and I can pick up my phone and book a flight to France, England, Europe, Africa, South America, fuckin’ Australia!

Such a little thing, to be done with.

We opened up the phones in the barbershops with the bookmakers.

Me? Oh, I don’t know. I’m a terrible fuck up. You could use me as an example.

He’d never driven a brand new car before. I had lots of yachts and stuff, but not so many new cars.

I’m always serious.

I was eleven, and I had outgrown the tiny stickball park at 84th and 102nd streets behind school number 71, and dad had decided to give me a sixth birthday present, like 5800 extra seats and an extra 20,000 seats on the roof!

It is hard for me to have a favorite movie. You see, I like foreign movies so much that they don’t seem foreign to me anymore.

I’m not mad, I’m proud of you. You took your first pinch like a man and learned the two most important things in life: never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.

And now it’s all over.

I didn’t have to wait that long, the Boston Braves baseball card set was released in 195

There wasn’t nobody in the audience got out there with their arm.

I had everything I could ever want, and I’ve only done what’s absolutely necessary to enjoy it.

What are you talking about? Your wife liked me!

It’s fantastic, it’s always fantastic working for the same people.

Everybody cut loose.

Henry, really all I gotta tell you is I’m very happy and it’s because of you.

The legality of the apps is the issue, not that they were selling the product.

I think so, a couple of grapefruits he took in the face. But other than that, he kept his mouth shut.

Nobody has ever drawn on me before. I opened my bookmaking joint in 1955 and nobody tried to rob me.

Every once in a while, I get this itch. I used to get it every day, when I was doing my stuff for Paulie at the club. I couldn’t believe how sick the bastard was, our connection, Paulie and me. From the age of twelve, I wanted to be in his gang. Of course, at first, on the streets, I wanted to work for Paulie. To be Paulie!