Nicholas Pileggi Quotes

Let me tell you something. Nobody goes to jail unless they want to. Unless they make themselves get caught. They don't have things organized.

For most of the guys killings got to be accepted. Murder was the only way everybody stayed in line. You got out of line, you got whacked. Everybody knew the rules.

Whenever we needed money, we robbed the airport. To us it was better than Citibank.

Saturday night was for wives, but Friday night at the Copa was always for the girlfriends.

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

You know, we always called each other "goodfellas," like you'd say to somebody "you're gonna like this guy, he's all right, he's a goodfella, he's one of us." You understand, we were goodfellas, wiseguys.

Everybody gets pinched but you did it right. You told them nothing and they got nothing. You learned the two greatest things in life: Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.

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 gotta admit the truth: It turned me on.

I'm funny how? I mean funny like I'm a clown, like I amuse you? I make you laugh, like I'm here to fuckin' amuse you?

Here's a wing [laughs]. What do you like, the leg or the wing, Henry, or do you still go for the old hearts and lungs?