The Most Memorable Quotes from the Godfather Trilogy

This famous line is said a few times throughout the trilogy, but one of the first times we hear it is from Don Vito Corleone. His godson, Johnny Fontane, comes to Corleone crying and needing a favor; Corleone responds with this line. This quote implies that the Corleone family gives people no choice but to do what they want.

Michael worked hard to legitimize his business and clean up his name. However, when someone tries to take his life yet again, he realizes the hard truth. It is nearly impossible for him to completely escape this life he has led for so long.

Tessio brings Sonny a delivery from the front door: a package of dead fish. When Sonny asks what it is, Clemenza replies, “It’s a Sicilian message; it means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fish.” This refers to the fact that Luca Brasi had been killed and dumped into the ocean.

After Don Vito Corleone had been shot, Clemenza and Rocco Lampone were told to take care of Paulie Gatto. Before the group leaves, Clemenza’s wife tells him not to forget the cannoli. So, after the mission is complete and they are ditching the car, Clemenza remembers his priorities and tells Lampone, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”

When Michael is adamant that he wants to kill Virgil Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, Sonny finds it funny. He asks his younger brother what he will do and if he thinks it’s the army. Then Sonny explains what Michael would have to do when he says this quote.

After Sollozzo’s conversation with Hagen, he clarifies one thing. Sollozzo doesn’t like to kill people. It’s just something that has to be done. After all, he’s a businessman, and it’s not personal; it’s just a means to an end.

Before their meeting, Luca Brasi is shown practicing his speech to Don Corleone, and he is nervous. His nerves do not let up during the meeting when he fumbles over his pre-planned speech. His delivery makes it one of the most quoted lines from “The Godfather.”

At the beginning of “The Godfather,” Michael tells Kay that his father helped Johnny Fontane with his career. When Kay pries and asks how, he tells her the facts: his father didn’t give the the guy holding Johnny back any choice but to let him go. Kay is shaken up, so Michael reassures her it is his family, not him.

At the movie’s end, Michael has taken his father’s place as Don Corleone, and Kay is rightfully concerned. When she continues to ask questions, Michael, in frustration, says, “Don’t ask me about my business, Kay.” Showing Kay the shift that occurred in Michael.

During a conversation with Michael, Don Corleone bestills some wisdom on his son, like knowing how to tell who has betrayed the family. Don Corleone also shares with his youngest son why he did certain things, typically in an attempt not to be careless.

When Michael approaches him, Carlo is very adamant about his innocence and that he had nothing to do with the death of Sonny. Michael assures him that he will spare his life, but he shouldn’t claim innocence because that is very insulting to Michael’s intelligence.

When Fredo takes the side of another person instead of the Corleone family, it annoys Michael. After Moe Greene leaves the room, Michael turns to Fredo and sets him straight, a message that Fredo doesn’t take to heart.

When Sonny gets overly excited about the prospects of joining the drug business, he speaks out of turn. This action prompts Don Corleone to remind Sonny not to show his cards and tell people who aren’t family what he thinks. However, it is too late, and Sonny’s overoptimism sets a domino effect that starts a war between families.

During a meeting with the five families, Tattaglia states that he wants assurance that Don Vito Corleone doesn’t seek vengeance for the death of his son. Corleone tells him that vengeance will not bring either of their boys back, yet he does want to make sure Michael can make it back to America and is not harmed.

When Michael plans on killing Sollozzo and the crooked cop, Sonny tells him he’s making it personal. However, determined to see this plan through, Michael reasons with Tom Hagen that a crooked cop would make a great story for the newspaper. Then he looks at Sonny and delivers one of the most quotable lines, “It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.”

During a family dinner, Santino begins talking business, to which his sister replies, “Daddy didn’t ever talk business in front of the kids.” Her husband, Carlo Rizzi, tells her to shut up, which upsets Sonny. Therefore, when Rizzi begins talking business again, Sonny shuts him down with the quip, “We don’t discuss business at the table.”

Marlon Brando sets the stage to show precisely who Don Vito Corleone is with the first conversation in the movie. Bonasera asks Don Corleone to kill the ones who hurt his daughter. However, Corleone clarifies that Bonasera didn’t come to him seeking friendship. Before this, he never wanted anything to do with the Corleone family; in fact, Bonasera didn’t even bother calling him Godfather.

Don Vito Corleone calls on the funeral parlor owner, Bonasera, for a favor, a call back to the beginning of the movie. He asks the director to do everything he can to make Sonny’s corpse presentable; he doesn’t want Sonny’s mom to see him that way.

While conversing with Don Lucchesi, Vincent Mancini tells him that Lucchesi is a man of finance and politics, and he doesn’t understand those things. Lucchesi compares finance and politics to a gun to make it easier for Mancini to understand.

During a conversation with Kay, Michael tries to reason the things he has done and states that he has always cared for his family. When Kay tells him that he is a reasonable man and only does reasonable things backed up by murder, Michael says, “You hate me.” She replies, “No, I dread you.”

When Michael approaches his older brother, Fredo, in “The Godfather II,” about his betrayal, Fredo delivers a heartfelt speech. In it, he states that he was passed over for Michael. Fredo tells Michael that he’s not dumb like everyone thinks he is, and he wants more respect.

Frank Pentangeli can’t understand why Michael would want to work with Roth in “The Godfather II.” This is when Michael shares the wise words his father once told him. You must keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer.

After Don Corleone agrees to do Bonasera a favor, he tells him he’ll have to do something for him one day. The day does come later in the movie after Sonny is gunned down.

In “The Godfather II,” Fredo betrays Michael and gives Ola and Roth information that would help them try to kill his younger brother. In an epic scene, Michael goes up to Fredo and kisses him, then says, “I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.”

In “The Godfather III,” Michael Corleone instills pearls of wisdom in Vincent Mancini. Mancini suggests to Michael that they should kill someone, and his uncle immediately shuts him down with this quote.