25 Goodfellas Quotes From the Legendary 1990s Mobster Movie

Goodfellas is a highly acclaimed 1990 crime film centered around the rise and fall of three notorious mobsters.

Below are some of the most memorable, toughest, and funniest Goodfellas quotes from Henry, Jimmy, Tommy, and more. 

What’s your favorite scene from Goodfellas? 

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas stars Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci in the main roles of Henry Hill, James “Jimmy” Conway, and Tommy DeVito.

The film has received many accolades, including British Academy Film Awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

From its realistic portrayals to its unique editing style, Goodfellas inspired the resurgence of the gangsta genre and filmmaking worldwide.

This led to the film being preserved in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress in 2000. 

Want to relive the ups and downs of Goodfellas?

Take a look at the quotes below!

Also check out these Godfather quotes about family and loyalty.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

Browse our entire collection of inspirational quotes for more motivating ideas and concepts.

Goodfellas quotes from Henry Hill

1. “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

2. “To me being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

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3. “One day some of the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother’s groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

4. “You know, we always called each other goodfellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, “You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a goodfella. He’s one of us.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

5. “Whenever we needed money, we’d rob the airport. To us, it was better than Citibank.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

6. “If we wanted something, we just took it. If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

7. “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 (Ray Liotta)

8. “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 (Ray Liotta)

9. “We ran everything. We paid off cops. We paid off lawyers. We paid off judges. Everybody had their hands out. Everything was for the taking. And now it’s all over.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

10. “To us those goody-good people who worked s**tty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work and worried about bills, were dead. They were suckers. They had no balls.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

11. “If you’re part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they’re going to kill you, doesn’t happen that way.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

12. “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 (Ray Liotta)

13. “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 (Ray Liotta)

14. “When you think of prison you get pictures in your mind of all those old movies with rows and rows of guys behind bars. It wasn’t like that for wiseguys.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

15. “We had to sit still and take it. It was among the Italians. It was real greaseball shit. They even shot Tommy in the face so his mother couldn’t give him an open-casket funeral.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

16. “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 (Ray Liotta)

17. “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 (Ray Liotta)

18. “Jimmy was the kind of guy that rooted for bad guys in the movies.” – Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

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Goodfellas quotes from Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito

19. “Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.” – Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro)

20. “Look what this f**king mutt did to my shoes.” – Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro)

21. “Stop with those f**king drugs. They’re making your mind into mush. You hear me? Take ’em back!” – Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro)

22. “She’ll never divorce him. She’ll kill him but she won’t divorce him.” – Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro)

23. “Come on f**kos. Let’s go for a ride.” – Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro)

24. “I’m funny how?  Funny, like, I’m a clown?  I amuse you?” – Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci)

25. “You’d be late to your own f**king funeral.” – Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci)

When’s the last time you were greedy?

Throughout Goodfellas, Henry and the gang were constantly in pursuit of something more.

No matter how successful they became or how much notoriety they gained, they always wanted what they didn’t have. 

Don’t let greed get in the way of your goals.

Whether you’re a mobster or an office worker, greed can cloud your judgment and stand in between you and your long term goals.

Greed often works against you and influences you to make decisions that may not be good for you in the long run. 

Which of these Goodfellas quotes and lines is your favorite?

Is there another movie that we should feature on Everyday Power?

Let us know below!