Film director Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather definitely makes it to the list of the best movies of all time. The cult classic has set the tone for every mobster film since. With that in mind, it was only a matter of time until we collected some of the most iconic The Godfather quotes and presented them to you.
Hence, if you’re looking for a careful selection of the internet’s favorite quotes from The Godfather, including excerpts from books that never made it to the big screen, we hope the list below will fulfill that need.
Starring Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, the head of a fictitious New York crime family, and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, his youngest son, some of the most famous movie quotes on the list are credited to those two. However, a comrade of the family, Amerigo Bonasera, the consigliere, and head lawyer Tom Hagen, among many others, also make up a large portion of memorable lines throughout the story.
With the story’s focal point set on family relationships, it shouldn’t be surprising that some of the best Godfather quotes are also quotes about family. These short snippets from the movies’ dialogues and the books can give insight into all the essential issues presented in the story and the lessons the viewer may take from it. Be it family, power, crime, justice, or masculinity-related, the most famous Godfather quotes cover it all.
So without further ado, let’s hop into what you came here for and explore some of the most quotable lines sourced from the movies and the books. And while you are going through the list, don’t forget to upvote the quotes you liked the most. Also, let us know which movie (or part of the movie) was your favorite!
#1
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – Don Vito Corleone
#2
“A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” – Don Vito Corleone
#3
“It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.” – Michael Corleone
#4
“Great men are not born great, they grow great.” – Don Vito Corleone
#5
“A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults.” – Don Vito Corleone
#6
“Your enemies always get strong on what you leave behind.” – Don Vito Corleone
#7
“I have learned more from the streets than in any classroom.” – Don Vito Corleone
#8
“Don’t tell me that you’re innocent. Because it insults my intelligence and it makes me very angry.” – Michael Corleone
#9
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” – Peter Clemenza
#10
“I hope their first child be a masculine child.” – Luca Brasi
#11
“I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see. They talk when they should listen.” – Don Vito Corleone
#12
“They should have stopped Hitler at Munich.” – Peter Clemenza
#13
“The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other.” – Don Vito Corleone
#14
“Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news at once.” – Tom Hagen
#15
“Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again.” – Don Vito Corleone
#16
“She was the light of my life. A beautiful girl.” – Amerigo Bonasera
#17
“You can do anything but never go against the family.” – Don Vito Corleone
#18
“You talk about vengeance. Is vengeance going to bring your son back to you? Or my boy to me?” – Don Vito Corleone
#19
“Forgive. Forget. Life is full of misfortunes.” – Don Vito Corleone
#20
“I’m not interested in things that don’t concern me.” – Don Vito Corleone
#21
“Some day and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me.” – Don Vito Corleone
#22
“If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.” – Michael Corleone
#23
“I believe in America. America has made my fortune.” – Amerigo Bonasera
#24
“My father assured him that either his brains or his signature would be on the contract.” – Michael Corleone
#25
“In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.” – Calo
#26
“That’s my family, Kay. It’s not me.” – Michael Corleone
#27
“Fredo, you’re my older brother, and I love you. But don’t ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever.” – Michael Corleone
#28
“A man in my position can’t afford to look ridiculous.” – Jack Woltz
#29
“If I wanted you dead, you would be dead already.” – Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo
#30
“When they come… they come at what you love.” – Don Vito Corleone
#31
“You’re getting a real reputation, Sonny! I hope you’re enjoying it!” – Tom Hagen
#32
“Time erodes gratitude more quickly than it does beauty!” – Don Vito Corleone
#33
“Now we’re talking business, let’s talk business.” – Michael Corleone
#34
“I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders!” – Moe Greene
#35
“What’s the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft with all that comedy you are playing with that young girl.” – Don Vito Corleone
#36
“Tell your boss he can ask for anything else, but this is one favor I can’t grant him.” – Jack Woltz
#37
“I swear, on the souls of my grandchildren, that I will not be the one to break the peace we have made here today.” – Don Vito Corleone
#38
“We don’t discuss business at the table.” – Santino “Sonny” Corleone
#39
“Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very personal.” – Santino “Sonny” Corleone
#40
“Power wears out those who do not have it.” – Calo
#41
“The richest man is the one with the most powerful friends.” – Don Altobello
#42
“I respect those who tell me the truth no matter how hard it is.” – Michael Corleone
#43
“The lawyer with the briefcase can steal more money than the man with the gun.” – Don Vito Corleone
#44
“Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.” – Michael Corleone
#45
“Never let anyone know what you are thinking.” – Michael Corleone
#46
“For justice, we must go to Don Corleone.” – Amerigo Bonasera
#47
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” – Don Vito Corleone
#48
“I don’t like violence, Tom. I’m a businessman. Blood is a big expense.” – Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo
#49
“Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.” – Peter Clemenza
#50
“You think too much of me, kid. I am not that clever.” – Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo
#51
“I bet Russian Czars never paid that much for a horse.” – Jack Woltz
#52
“This war stops now.” – Don Vito Corleone
#53
“I refused to be a fool dancing on the strings held by all of those big shots.” – Don Vito Corleone
#54
“Come on, kid, don’t fool around.” – Peter Clemenza
#55
“I want you to use all your powers and all your skills.” – Don Vito Corleone
#56
“We’re going to the mattresses.” – Santino “Sonny” Corleone
#57
“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.” – Don Vito Corleone
#58
“I’m going to leave you now because I know that you are busy on this, the day of your daughter’s wedding.” – Luca Brasi
#59
“I want reliable people, people who aren’t going to be carried away.” – Don Vito Corleone
#60
“You have to take time and trouble.” – Don Vito Corleone
#61
“Soldiers are paid to fight; the rebels aren’t.” – Michael Corleone
#62
“When a plot against the Emperor failed… the plotters were always given a chance… to let their families keep their fortunes. Right?” – Tom Hagen
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