The Godfather quotes

View Quote [to Vitelli, about Apollonia] I apologize if I offended you. I am a stranger in this country. And I meant no disrespect to you, or your daughter. I am an American, hiding in Sicily. My name is Michael Corleone. There are people who'd pay a lot of money for that information. But then your daughter would lose a father instead of gaining a husband. I want to meet your daughter with your permission and under the supervision of your family with all respect.

View Quote Michael: [while eating dinner with Sollozzo and McCluskey] What I want - what's most important to me - is that I have a guarantee: No more attempts on my father's life.
Sollozzo: What guarantees could I give you, Mike? I am the hunted one! I missed my chance. You think too much of me, kid - I'm not that clever. All I want is a truce.

View Quote Tom Hagen: Michael, why am I out?
Michael: You're not a wartime consigliere, Tom. Things may get rough with the move we're trying.

View Quote Sollozzo: Your boss is dead. I know you're not in the muscle-end of the family, Tom, so I don't want you to be scared. I want you to help the Corleones, and I want you to help me. Yeah, we got him outside his office just about an hour after we picked you up. Drink it. So now it's up to you to make the peace between me and Sonny. Sonny was hot for my deal, wasn't he? And you knew it was the right thing to do.
Tom Hagen: Sonny'll come after you with everything's he got.
Sollozzo: That'll be his first reaction, sure. That's why you gotta talk some sense into him. The Tattaglia family is behind me with all their people. The other New York Families will go along with anything that will prevent a full-scale war. Let's face it, Tom, and all due respect, the Don, rest in peace, was -- slippin'. Ten years ago, could I have gotten to him? Well now, he's dead. He's dead, Tom, and nothing can bring him back. So you gotta talk to Sonny, you gotta talk to the caporegimes, that Tessio and that Fat Clemenza. It's good business, Tom.
Tom Hagen: I'll try, but even Sonny won't be able to call Luca Brasi off.
Sollozzo: Yeah, well, let me worry about Luca. You just talk to Sonny and the other two kids.
Tom Hagen: I'll try my best.
Sollozzo: Good. Now, you can go. I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a business man. Blood is a big expense.

View Quote Tom Hagen: [to Don Corleone, about Virgil Sollozzo] He's known as 'The Turk.' He's supposed to be very good with a knife, but only in matters of business or some sort of reasonable complaint. His business is narcotics. He has fields in Turkey where they grow the poppies. And in Sicily, he has the plants to process them into heroin. Now, he needs cash and he needs protection from the police, for which he gives a piece of the action. I couldn't find out how much. The Tattaglia family is behind him here in New York.
Sonny: There's a lot of money in that white powder.
Tom Hagen: Well, I say yes. There's more money potential in narcotics than anything else we're looking at. Now if we don't get into it, somebody else will. Maybe one of the Five Families, maybe all of them. Now, with the money they earn, they can buy more police and political power - then they come after us. Now we have the unions, we have the gambling, and they're the best things to have. But narcotics is a thing of the future. And if we don't get a piece of that action, we risk everything we have - I mean not now, but ten years from now.

View Quote Tessio: Barzini wants to arrange a meeting, straighten any of our problems out.
...
Tom Hagen: Tessio. I always thought it would be Clemenza.
Michael Corleone: It's the smart move. Tessio was always smarter.

View Quote Tessio: Can you get me off the hook, Tom? You know, for old times' sake?
Tom Hagen: Can't do it, Sally.
Tessio: Tell Michael it was strictly business. I always liked him.
Tom Hagen: He understands that.

View Quote Bonasera: I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom, but I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a boyfriend; not an Italian. She went to the movies with him; she stayed out late. I didn't protest. Two months ago, he took her for a drive, with another boyfriend. They made her drink whiskey. And then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her, like an animal. When I went to the hospital, her nose was a'broken. Her jaw was a'shattered, held together by wire. She couldn't even weep because of the pain. But I wept. Why did I weep? She was the light of my life, a beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again. I went to the police, like a good American. These two boys were brought to trial. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison - suspended sentence. Suspended sentence! They went free that very day! I stood in the courtroom like a fool. And those two bas****, they smiled at me. Then I said to my wife, for justice, we must go to Don Corleone.

View Quote Mikey, why don't you tell that nice girl you love her? (Mocking) "I love you with all-a my heart, if I don't see-a you again soon, I'm-a gonna die..."

View Quote Luca Brasi: Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding... on the day of your daughter's wedding. And I hope that their first child will be a masculine child. I pledge my ever-ending loyalty.

View Quote [While talking to Tom Hagen about his career] A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.

View Quote Virgil "the Turk" Solozzo: Sonny was hot for my deal, wasn't he? And you knew it was the right thing to do...you gotta talk some sense into him. The Tattaglia family is behind me with all their people. The other New York families will go along with anything that will prevent a full-scale war. Let's face it, Tom, and all due respect. The Don, rest in peace, was slippin'. Ten years ago could I have gotten to him? Well, now he's dead. He's dead, Tom, and nothing can bring him back. So you gotta talk to Sonny and the other two kids; you gotta talk to the 'capo' regimes, that Tessio and Fat Clemenza. It's good business, Tom... let me worry about Luca. I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a business man. Blood is a big expense.

View Quote [speaking to Tom Hagen after Sonny is killed] I want no inquiries made. I want no acts of vengeance. I want you to arrange a meeting, with the heads of the Five Families. This war stops now.

View Quote Capt. McCluskey: I thought I got all you Guinea hoods locked up, what the hell are you doing here?
Michael: What happened to the men who were guarding my father?
Capt. McCluskey: Why you little punk! What the hell are you doing telling me my business? I pulled them guys off of here, eh! -- now you get outta here -- and stay away from this hospital!
Michael: I'm not moving until you put some guards around my father's room.
Capt. McCluskey: Phil, take him in!
Cop: The kid's clean Captain, he's a war hero! He's never been busted for the rackets...
Capt. McCluskey: God Damn it, I said take him in!
Michael: What's the Turk paying you to set up my father, Captain?
Capt. McCluskey: [to Cop] Take a hold of him, stand him up, stand him up straight.
[McCluskey punches Michael and breaks his jaw]

View Quote If we lose the old man, we lose our political contacts and half our strength. The other New York families might wind up supporting Sollozzo just to avoid a long, destructive war. This is almost 1946. Nobody wants bloodshed anymore. If your father dies, you make the deal, Sonny.