Goodfellas is an American biographical crime film from the year 1990, written by Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi, and directed by Martin Scorsese. In this article, we share with you the best and most memorable Goodfellas quotes.
The movie is an adaptation of the book “Wiseguy” that was written by Nicholas Pileggi in 1985, and stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco, and others. Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) and his life in the mob. It covers different aspects in his life, including his relationship with his wife Karen Hill, as well as with his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito as part of the Italian-American crime syndicate.
Goodfellas was released by Warner Brothers and received positive reviews, with some referring to the movie as probably Scorsese’s best movie in his career. The movie’s budget was $25 million and it grossed $47 million in the movie theaters. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, eventually winning one award for Best Supporing Actor going to Joe Pesci.
The movie was a great success worldwide, winning 5 awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It is regarded as one of the best movies ever made, especially in the genre of gangster movies.
In the year 2000, the United States Library of Congress selected Goodfells for preservation in the National Film Registry.
And now ladies and gentlemen, let’s enjoy some unforgettable Goodfellas quotes.
Here is a sneak peek at the quotes in this article:
Table of Contents
- Goodfellas Robert De Niro Quotes (James Conway)
- Goodfellas Ray Liotta Quotes (Henry Hill)
- Goodfellas Joe Pesci Quotes (Tommy DeVito)
- Goodfellas Lorraine Bracco Quotes (Karen Hill)
- Goodfellas Frank Vincent Quotes (Billy Batts)
- Interesting Facts about Goodfellas
Goodfellas Robert De Niro Quotes (James Conway)
James Conway: You stupid bastard, I can’t fuckin’ believe you. Now, you’re gonna dig the fuckin’ thing now. You’re gonna dig the hole. You’re gonna do it. I got no fuckin’ lime. You’re gonna do it.
James Conway: Attaboy! I got respect for this kid. He’s got a lot of fucking balls. Good for you! Don’t take no shit off nobody.
James Conway: I’m not mad, I’m proud of you. You took your first pinch like a man and you learn two great things in your life. Look at me, never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.
James Conway: Look what this fucking mutt did to my shoes.
James Conway: They whacked him. They fuckin’ whacked him.
Billy Batts: Give us a drink. And give some to those Irish hoodlums down there.
James Conway: There’s only one Irishman in here.
Billy Batts: On the house. Salud.
James Conway: Top of the mornin’.
James Conway: Pay me my money.
James Conway: She’ll never divorce him. She’ll kill him but she won’t divorce him.
James Conway: Come on, fuckos, let’s go for a ride. Keep ’em up all night.
James Conway: I don’t give a fuck whose name it’s on! Are you stupid or what? Did you hear what I said? Don’t buy anything, don’t get anything! Nothing big. Didn’t you hear what I said? What’s the matter with you?
James Conway: Why am I getting all excited about it? Because you’re gonna get us all fucking pinched, that’s why! What are you, stupid? What’s the matter with you? What’s the matter with you?
James Conway: What did you say? You being a wise guy with me? What did I tell you? What did I tell you? You don’t buy anything; you hear me? Don’t buy ANYTHING!
James Conway: That fat fuck! He oughta wear a sign.
James Conway: Today! Today!
James Conway: You might know who we are. We know who you are, understand?
James Conway: What’s the matter with you? What – what is the matter with you? What are you, stupid or what? Tommy, Tommy, I’m kidding with you. What are you doin’? What are you, a sick maniac?
Goodfellas Ray Liotta Quotes (Henry Hill)
Henry Hill: You’re a pistol, you’re really funny. You’re really funny.
Tommy DeVito: What do you mean I’m funny?
Henry Hill: It’s funny, you know. It’s a good story, it’s funny, you’re a funny guy.
Tommy DeVito: What do you mean, you mean the way I talk? What?
Henry Hill: It’s just, you know. You’re just funny, it’s… funny, you know the way you tell the story and everything.
Henry Hill: Get the fuck out of here, Tommy!
Henry Hill: As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.
Henry Hill: Paulie may have moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn’t have to move for anybody.
Henry Hill: You know, we always called each other good fellas. 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.” You understand? We were good fellas. Wise guys.
Henry Hill: Jimmy was the kind of guy that rooted for bad guys in the movies.
Henry Hill: Now the guy’s got Paulie as a partner. Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy’s gotta come up with Paulie’s money every week, no matter what. 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.
Henry Hill: For a second I thought I was dead. But, when I heard all the noise, I knew they were cops. Only cops talk that way. If they’d been wiseguys, I wouldn’t have heard a thing. I would’ve been dead.
Henry Hill: Anything I wanted was a phone call away. Free cars. The keys to a dozen hideout flats all over the city. I bet twenty, thirty grand over a weekend and then I’d either blow the winnings in a week or go to the sharks to pay back the bookies.
Henry Hill: And that’s the hardest part. Today everything is different; there’s no action… have to wait around like everyone else. Can’t even get decent food – right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce, and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I’m an average nobody… get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.
Henry Hill: Whenever we needed money, we’d rob the airport. To us, it was better than Citibank.
Henry Hill: And then there was Jimmy Two Times, who got that nickname because he said everything twice.
Henry Hill: If you’re part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they’re going to kill you, doesn’t happen that way. There weren’t any arguments or curses like in the movies. See, your murderers come with smiles, they come as your friends, the people who’ve cared for you all of your life. And they always seem to come at a time that you’re at your weakest and most in need of their help.
Henry Hill: For us to live any other way was nuts. Uh, to us, those goody-good people who worked shitty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day, and worried about their bills, were dead. I mean, they were suckers. They had no balls. If we wanted something, we just took it. If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.
Karen: What do you do?
Henry Hill: I’m in construction.
Karen: They don’t feel like you’re in construction.
Henry Hill: Ah, I’m a union delegate.
Henry Hill: Killing’s got to be accepted. Murder was the only way that everybody stayed in line. You got out of line, you got whacked. Everybody knew the rules.
Henry Hill: All they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what the FBI can never understand – that what Paulie and the organization offer is protection for the kinds of guys who can’t go to the cops. They’re like the police department for wiseguys.
Henry Hill: One day some of the kids from the neighbourhood carried my mother’s groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect.
Henry Hill: Jimmy had never asked me to do a hit before, and now he’s asking me to go down to Florida with Anthony to make a hit. That’s when I knew I would never have come back from Florida alive.
Henry Hill: You gonna fight with Jimmy Conway? He wants his money, give him his money and let us get the fuck out of here!
Henry Hill: By the time I grew up, there was thirty billion a year in cargo moving through Idlewild Airport and believe me, we tried to steal every bit of it.
Henry Hill: Now take me to jail.
Henry Hill: It was easy for all of us to disappear. My house was in my mother-in-law’s name. My cars were registered to my wife. My social security cards and driver’s licenses were phonies. I never voted. I never paid taxes. My birth certificate and my arrest sheet… that’s all you’d ever have to know I was alive.
Henry Hill: Thirty-two hundred dollars he gave me. Thirty-two hundred dollars for a lifetime. It wasn’t even enough to pay for the coffin.
Henry Hill: To me, it meant being somebody in a neighbourhood full of nobodies.
Henry Hill: I like going this way. It’s better than waiting in line.
Goodfellas Joe Pesci Quotes (Tommy DeVito)
Tommy DeVito: You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little fucked up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?
Tommy DeVito: Ya motherfucker! I almost had him, I almost had him. Ya stuttering prick ya. Frankie, was he shaking? I wonder about you sometimes, Henry. You may fold under questioning.
Tommy DeVito: No more shines, Billy.
Billy Batts: What?
Tommy DeVito: I said, no more shines. Maybe you didn’t hear about it, you’ve been away a long time. They didn’t go up there and tell you. I don’t shine shoes anymore.
Stacks Edwards: What time is it?
Tommy DeVito: It’s eleven thirty, we’re supposed to be there by nine.
Stacks Edwards: Be ready in a minute.
Tommy DeVito: Yeah, you were always fuckin’ late, you were late for your own fuckin’ funeral.
Tommy DeVito: Fuckin’ rat anyway. His family’s all rats. He’ll grow up to be a rat.
Tommy DeVito: I settle down with a nice girl every night, but then in the morning I’m free.
Tommy DeVito: Who the fuck cares? I’ll dig the fuckin’ hole. I don’t give a fuck. What is it, the first hole I dug? Not the first time I dug a hole. I’ll fuckin’ dig a hole. Where are the shovels?
Tommy DeVito: Oklahoma Kid. That’s me. I’m the Oklahoma Kid. You fuckin’ varmint! Dance. Dance. YAHOO, YA MOTHERFUCKER!
Tommy DeVito: He said, “No, you’re gonna tell me something today, tough guy.” I said, “All right, I’ll tell you something: go fuck your mother.”
Tommy DeVito: All right, so he got shot in the foot, what is it, a big fuckin’ deal?
Tommy DeVito: Hey, Spider, that fuckin’ bandage on your foot is bigger than your fuckin’ head.
Tommy DeVito: What the fuck are you doing? You’re hanging around my fuckin’ neck like a vulture, like impending danger.
Tommy DeVito: What the fuck you looking at? Come on. Make that coffee to go. Let’s go. What the fuck are you doing? It’s a joke! A joke! Put the fucking pot down!
Tommy DeVito: You know Spider, you’re a fuckin’ mumbling stuttering little fuck. You know that?
Tommy DeVito: Hey Frank, let’s chop him up.
Frankie Carbone: All right.
Tommy DeVito: Where you going? Where you going, you dizzy motherfucker, you?
Frankie Carbone: To chop him up.
Tommy DeVito: At Charlie’s, not here!
Tommy DeVito: Hey, what do you like, the leg or the wing, Henry? Or ya still go for the old hearts and lungs?
Tommy DeVito: What am I, a mirage?
Tommy DeVito: What, do you got me on a fuckin’ pay-no-mind list, kid?
Tommy DeVito: “What do you want to tell me now, tough guy?” I said, “Bing, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to go fuck your mother!” I thought he was gonna shit!
Tommy DeVito: I didn’t want to get blood on your floor.
Tommy DeVito: Ping! Pow! Boom! Bing!
Tommy DeVito: Where’s the strong box, you fuckin’ varmint, you?
Tommy DeVito: Don’t give me that Tommy garbage. What the I asked you for, Henry? I asked you for a favor. I do a lot of favors for you, don’t I?
Tommy DeVito: I like this one. One dog goes one way, the other dog goes the other way.
Goodfellas Lorraine Bracco Quotes (Karen Hill)
Karen Hill: 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.
Karen Hill: Is this the superintendent?… Yes, I want you to know, sir! That you have a whore living in 2R!
Karen Hill: Rossi! Janice Rossi, do you hear me? He’s my husband! Get your own goddamn man!
Karen Hill: After a while, it got to be all normal. None of it seemed like crime. It was more like Henry was enterprising, and that he and the guys were making a few bucks hustling, while all the other guys were sitting on their asses, waiting for handouts. Our husbands weren’t brain surgeons; they were blue-collar guys. The only way they could make extra money, real extra money, was to go out and cut a few corners.
Karen Hill: One night, Bobby Vinton sent us champagne. There was nothing like it. I didn’t think there was anything strange in any of this. You know, a twenty-one-year-old kid with such connections. He was an exciting guy. He was really nice. He introduced me to everybody. Everybody wanted to be nice to him. And he knew how to handle it
Karen Hill: You got some nerve standing me up like that last night! Nobody does that to me! Who the Hell do you think you are? Frankie Valli or some kinda bigshot?
Karen Hill: It was like he had two families. The first time I was introduced to all of them at once, it was crazy. Paulie and his brothers had lots of sons and nephews. And almost all of them were named Peter or Paul. It was unbelievable. There must have been two dozen Peters and Pauls at the wedding. Plus, they were all married to girls named Marie. And they named all their daughters Marie. By the time I finished meeting everybody, I thought I was drunk.
Goodfellas Frank Vincent Quotes (Billy Batts)
Billy Batts: Relax, will ya? Ya flip right out, what’s got into you? I’m breaking your balls a little bit, that’s all. I’m only kidding with ya…
Billy Batts: Now go home and get your fuckin’ shinebox.
Billy Batts: Hey Jimmy! What’s right is right. You understand what I’m talking about?
Billy Batts: Hey, Tommy, if I was gonna break your balls, I’d tell you to go home and get your shine box.
Billy Batts: I’ll fuck him in his ass. I fucked kids like him in the can in the ass. Fuckin’ trying to break up my party.
Billy Batts: Now he’d make your shoes look like mirrors, ‘scuse my language. He was terrific, he was the best. He made a lot of money too, ah salud, Tommy.
Interesting Facts about Goodfellas
Now let’s have a look at some interesting facts about Goodfellas and understand how it became to be probably Scorsese’s best film ever.
- A Watch and a Pinkie Ring to Match the Suits – The pinky ring look was common when it came to Italian mobsters in Hollywood. And so, every suit that De Niro wore in the movie also had a pinkie ring and a watch to match the entire look.
- Paul Sorvino Almost Dropped Out of the Movie – Paul Sorvino, who plays the character of Paul Cicero or Paulie in the movie, almost dropped out, because he had trouble connecting to the cruelty of his character.
- The Famous Scene and Line Weren’t in the Script – Who can forget the infamous “funny how” scene? Well, it seems that originally this wasn’t in the script at all. So, how did it end up in the movie you ask? Young Joe Pesci used to work at a restaurant, when one day he told some mobster that he was funny. This of course was meant as a compliment, but the mobster thought otherwise. Pesci mentioned it to Scorsese, who decided to include the scene in the movie.
- Robert De Niro’s Money in the Movie was Real – In the casino scene when Robert De Niro tosses money, these are not props, but real cash. Robert Griffon gave him $5,000 of his own money, as long as De Niro paid him back in full. Scorsese wanted everything to look real and perfect, and that is why they used real money. The funny part about it, is that after each take, Griffon would yell “freeze” and collect the cash that was thrown.
- It Could Have Been Tom Cruise and Madonna – Both Tom Cruise and Madonna were considered for the movie. However, after seeing Ray Liotta’s performance in the movie “Something Wild” from 1986, Scorsese decided that he wanted him to star in his film.
- It Also Could Have Been Al Pacino – Believe it or not, but Al Pacino actually turned down the role of James (Jimmy) Conway. It is said that he didn’t want to be type casted in the role of a gangster after The Godfather, and decided to take the role of Big Boy Caprice in the movie “Dick Tracy”.
- Ray Liotta Preferred Goodfellas over Batman – Ray Liotta was offered the role of Harvey Dent (a.k.a Two Face) in the 1989 film Batman by Tim Burton, but decided to pass on that role in order to play Henry Hill in Scorsese’s Goodfellas.
- Crime Pays Better Than Hollywood – This is according to the real Henry Hill. You see, Hill got $550,000 for the movie Goodfellas, but according to him, that’s peanuts compared to what he was making back in his gangster days. Back then, he could have made from $15,000-$40,000 per week. With that said, we do not encourage any illegal activity of course, so… stay in school and be good!
For more quotes from gangster movies and shows, please see our pages dedicated to Scarface quotes, Peaky Blinders quotes, and Pulp Fiction quotes.