25 A Bronx Tale Quotes From the Coming of Age Gangster Film
Updated October 13, 2024
The streets teach hard lessons.
These quotes from A Bronx Tale capture them all.
Nothing says ‘coming of age like this American crime drama from 1993.
A Bronx Tale tells the coming-of-age story of an Italian-American boy named Calogero.
After an encounter with a local Mafia boss, Calogero is torn between the wealth, power, and glamour of organized crime and the values his honest and hardworking father has taught him.
The movie also highlights the racial tensions in Calegaro’s community.
The movie was originally a 1989 Broadway production, an autobiographical account of Chazz Palminteri’s childhood.
Robert De Niro saw the play in LA in 1990 and purchased the rights to the screenplay.
He and Palminteri (who starred in the movie as Sonny) converted the play to film but made few changes as Palminteri wanted to keep it as close to his childhood as possible.
De Niro not only directed this film but also starred as Lorenzo.
One of the best scenes in this movie is the police interrogation between Lorenzo and Detective Belsik, which you can almost visualize by reading these A Bronx Tale quotes.
Don’t forget to also check out our list of The Goonies quotes about the 80s treasure hunt movie.
Also, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily wisdom.
See the rest of our quote database for even more inspirational ideas and thoughts.
A Bronx Tale movie quotes about wasted talent and other life lessons
1. “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” — Lorenzo Anello
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2. “I was getting two educations: One from the street and one from school. That way I’d be twice as smart as everybody.” — Calogero “C” Anello
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3. “Didn’t we tell ya a thousand times not to go near that bar?” — Rosina Anello
4. Lorenzo: “You stay away from that bar. You don’t see me going to the bar, do you?”
Calogero: “You mean Mom won’t let you go either?”
5. Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “He owes me 20 dollars. It’s been two weeks now, and every time he sees me he keeps dodging me. He’s becoming a real pain in the ass. Should I crack him one, or what?”
Sonny: “Sometimes hurting somebody ain’t the answer. First of all, is he a good friend of yours?”
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6. Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “No, I don’t even like him.”
Sonny: “You don’t even like him. There’s your answer right there. Look at it this way: It costs you 20 dollars to get rid of him… He’s out of your life for 20 dollars. You got off cheap. Forget him.”
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7. “Sometimes in the heat of passion, the little head tells the big head what to do, and the big head should think twice about what you are doing.” — Lorenzo Anello
8. “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever. But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they’ll just tell you this is just another Bronx tale.” — Calogero “C” Anello
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A Bronx Tale quotes about love and family
9. “You gotta do what your heart tells you to do. Let me tell you somethin’ right now. You’re only allowed three great women in your lifetime. They come along like the great fighters, every ten years.” — Sonny
10. “Let me tell you something: when you’re alone late at night in bed, just you and her under the covers, that’s all that matters. You gotta do what your heart tells you to do. Let me tell you something right now.” — Sonny
11. Sonny: “You like her?”
Calogero: “I do, but I don’t want to hear the guys.”
Sonny: “F*** them. Half of them are gonna end up dead or in jail. Nobody cares. All that matters is what’s good for you… and how you feel about each other.”
12. [as C walks out of Sonny’s funeral] “Sonny and my father always said that when I get older, I would understand. Well, I finally did. I learned something from these two men. I learned to give love and get love unconditionally.” — Calogero “C” Anello
13. “You just have to accept people for what they are, and I learned the greatest gift of all.” — Calogero “C” Anello
14. “I know who you are, Sonny. I know what you’re capable of, and I would never step out of line. You can ask anyone in the neighborhood who knows me. But this time, you’re wrong. You don’t fool with a man’s family. This is my son, not yours.” — Lorenzo Anello
15. “You just have to accept people for what they are, and I learned the greatest gift of all.” — Calogero “C” Anello
The Bronx Tale quotes about the working man and money
16. “Sonny was right. The working man IS a sucker, dad. He’s a sucker.” — Calogero “C” Anello
17. “He’s wrong! It don’t take much strength to pull a trigger, but try and get up every morning, day after day and work for a livin’! Let’s see him try that! Then we’ll see who’s the REAL tough guy! The working man’s the tough guy! Your father’s the tough guy!” — Lorenzo Anello
18. Lorbenzo: “The other night he tried to throw away his baseball cards because he said Mickey Mantle would never pay our rent.”
Sonny: “He said that to you? I can’t believe that kid.”
Lorenzo: “That’s not funny. Not when your kid has a bigger bank account than you do.”
19. Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “Mommy! Mommy! Look what I got! Some peaches…for…free.” [he sees his parents about to confront him]
Lorenzo: [showing C the wad of cash] “What’s this?”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “What’s what, Dad?”
20. Lorenzo: “Where’d you get this? Your mother found it behind your drawer.”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “It’s my savings, Dad.”
Lorenzo: “600 dollars you’ve been saving? What’d you do, become a brain surgeon overnight, son?”
21. Rosina Anello: “Tell your father where you got the money!”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “I worked for it.”
Lorenzo: “Doin’ what?”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “Things.”
Lorenzo: “Things? Whadaya mean ‘things’? What things?”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “Things. Y’know, things.”
22. Lorenzo: “Don’t lie to me. Just tell the truth and I won’t get upset.”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “Promise?
Lorenzo: “I’m your father. Would I say it if I didn’t mean it?”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “I worked the crap games, and the guys gave me tips.”
Rosina Anello: “Crap games?”
23. Lorenzo: “Crap games? What crap games?” [C looks down]
Lorenzo: “What crap games? What tips?” [still no answer]
Lorenzo: “WHAT CRAP GAMES?”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “I thought you weren’t gonna get upset, Dad.”
24. Lorenzo: “I lied! Now tell me everything!”
Calogero ‘C’ Anello: “I told you. I worked for Sonny and the guys gave me tips.”
Lorenzo: “I knew it!”
Relive the police interrogation with these A Bronx Tale quotes
25. Lorenzo: [hears knocking on the door] “Who is it?”
Detective Belsik: “POLICE. Is this the Anello residence?”
Lorenzo: “Yeah, could I help ya?”
Which of these A Bronx Tale quotes is your favorite?
This movie is not only a coming of age story, it is almost a Shakespearean romance, with a classic Romeo and Juliet feel.
Calogero is not only struggling to find himself, and reconcile his two identities, but he also falls for a black girl, and because of the violence in the neighborhood, the pair face many challenges.
I won’t ruin the story because it is central to the plot, but there is a lot of misunderstanding and prejudice that leads to some disastrous consequences.
The movie is also a critically acclaimed film, not bad for De Niro’s first foray into the role of director.
Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, calling it “very funny [and] very touching.
It is filled with life and colorful characters and great lines of dialogue, and De Niro, in his debut as a director, finds the right notes as he moves from laughter to anger to tears [while] retaining its values.”
It also did very well at the box office, grossing $17.3 million domestically.
It is also a crime drama fan must-see film!
Did you enjoy reading these A Bronx Tale quotes and lines?
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