10 Best ‘Goodfellas’ Quotes, Ranked

Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese, is one of the most iconic crime films of all time. The film, which received six Academy Awards nominations, is based on the non-fiction novel Wise Guys by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the script. Goodfellas follows Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he moves up in the mafia. Since Goodfellas came out in 1990, it has cemented itself as an influential film in pop culture.

Widely celebrated and considered Scorsese’s crowning jewel, Goodfellas has been referenced in many different TV shows and movies, from The Simpsons to The Sopranos. It continues to influence pop culture and the gangster genre as a whole. Goodfellas is a masterpiece due to its exceptional characters and dialogue, delivering many of the genre’s most representative and timeless quotes. From humorous digs to intense monologues, these are the best and most iconic quotes from Goodfellas.

10 “I’m in construction.”

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

Henry and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) are the IT couple of Goodfellas so, of course, their first meeting would be memorable. Karen and Henry are in a restaurant and the subject of Henry’s line of work comes up. He doesn’t want to tell Karen what he really does for a living and tells her his work is in construction. During this moment, Karen is touching Henry’s hands and notices they don’t have the calluses of someone who works in the construction industry.

She immediately knows that Henry isn’t telling her the truth about what he does for a living, adding an element of tension to what is an otherwise normal date. Bracco’s expressions are quite good, perfectly complementing Liotta’s detached demeanor as he tries to move past her question. The quote reveals a lot about their relationship, hinting that it’s uneven and volatile from the get-go. Goodfellas might not be one of the all-time best crime romance movies, but Henry and Karen’s relationship is still a crucial element of it.

9 “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 (Lorraine Bracco)

Karen marries Harry, and they start settling into their new life together. While at a party, Karen becomes overwhelmed by everything at the party and starts to question if being a mobster’s wife is really the life she wants. After expressing doubts about their lifestyle, Henry reassures Karen, and she starts to accept their extraordinary life as normal.

Karen says this line soon after she receives reassurance from Henry. Her attitude towards what Henry does for a living has changed and she now sees Henry and the rest of the gang as being average guys working hard to make a living. She knows that their ways of doing “business” are different, but it is the only way to secure the money they feel they deserve. This quote is quite cynical, a way for Karen to rationalize and excuse Henry’s work.

8 “Now go home and get your f*ckin’ shine box.”

Billy Batts (Frank Vincent)

Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) returns from prison and reunites with members of the Gambino mafia family at Henry’s bar. He recognizes Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and remarks that they used to call him “Spitshine Tommy” because he used to shine shoes. Eventually, Billy tells Tommy to get his shine box, which sets off Tommy, who slams down his drink and shatters his glass. Tommy is restrained by Henry and is told to leave the bar.

This line is a catalyst for the next scene and ultimately seals Billy Batts’ fate. Billy’s insult humbles Tommy, basically telling him that he should go back to being a shoe shiner and forget about being a gangster. Tommy is furious at Batts and comes back to kill him, a perfect reaction considering his infamously explosive and brutal nature. Billy is quite unlikeable, so seeing Tommy get his revenge is somewhat satisfying, even if it’s also quite disturbing.

7 “In prison, dinner was always a big thing.”

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

Henry is sent to prison and finds out that he and other members of the mafia are treated very well, getting away with anything and having access to whatever they want. Big home-style dinners aren’t uncommon. They cook pasta and even meat or fish (sometimes even lobster) and even make sure that their dinner is complete with bread and wine.

This quote, spoken by Henry, shows how, even in prison, the gangsters were given the best of the best. They continued to live their luxurious lifestyles behind bars, adapting to their circumstances and finding ways to get what they wanted. The quote plays to the glamorization of the mafia that Goodfellas both plays on and subverts; the gangsters have lobster for dinner but not their freedom, an interesting contrast of circumstances that summarizes the gangster lifestyle.

6 “Look at me, never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.”

Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro)

A young Henry has his time in court after he got “pinched” while illegally selling cigarettes. After he is done in court, Jimmy (Robert De Niro) congratulates him, explaining that everyone gets pinched and Henry did the right thing by not ratting anyone out. Jimmy isn’t mad at all because Henry knows to keep quiet about who is involved. Jimmy gives Henry this piece of advice before they walk into a room full of gangsters who are cheering for Henry.

Jimmy’s advice sticks with Henry for a long time until he breaks these rules towards the end of Goodfellas to save himself and his family. The loyalty behind the shady dealings is a crucial point in all the best gangster movies, and Goodfellas is no exception. To these types of organizations, loyalty is everything, a code of conduct gangsters must stick to if they want to survive.

5 “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. “

Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco)

While out on a job, Henry gets a phone call from Karen, who reveals she was assaulted by a guy who lives across the street from her parents’ house. Henry beats him with a gun handle before walking back to Karen’s parent’s house and giving her the gun that he beat the guy with. Karen holds the gun in her hands and hides it.

This line is said by Karen, who adds a bit of narration towards the end of this scene. She is aware that a normal reaction to this situation would be fear, as she says that her best friends wouldn’t feel safe. However, Kare appreciates Henry’s reaction and protective instincts, seemingly enjoying the power he wields. It brings a layer of excitement to her relationship with Henry, thus adding more complexity to their already challenging relationship. The quote illustrates the allure of the gangster lifestyle, not only for those on the inside but also for those adjacent to it.

4 “I’m an average nobody… get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

Henry’s monologue at the end of Goodfellas is just as iconic as the one at the beginning. If Henry doesn’t testify against Paul and Jimmy, then he is a dead man, and his family will be in danger. The best option is to go into witness protection in exchange for his testimony, beginning a new life as the one thing he feared the most: an ordinary man.

Henry Hill’s biggest goal in life was to become a gangster. He loved his life in the mafia because of the power, status, influence, and freedom it provided. Since he has lost his identity as a gangster, Henry now sees himself as an average, unimportant person living an average, unimportant life. Liotta’s defeated expression works wonderfully with the quote, resulting in one of the most satisfying movie endings in history as Henry got his punishment, one way or the other.

3 “We always did everything together, and we always were in the same crowd.”

Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco)

Karen’s marriage to Henry Hill changes her life. She becomes part of a new family as she spends more time with the other mob wives. Being a family meant that they didn’t socialize outside their circle, becoming part of each other’s lives from birth to death. As a family, they would do lots of events and activities together, from anniversaries to vacations.

This Karen quote is interesting because it gives insight into how the family dynamic was only superficial, as there was also this sense of isolation from the rest of the world. Karen never really mentions those best friends which she hints at when she is first dating Henry. “Always being in the same crowd” means that Karen has to stick with having friends who were only within the world of organized crime, proving that the freedom allowed by the lifestyle applied only to a few and only to specific situations.

2 “Funny how? Funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you?

Tommy

This quote is from one of the most famous scenes from Goodfellas. Tommy is telling an elaborate story to several other gangsters. When Henry calls him a “funny guy,” the notoriously unbalanced Tommy gets into a long-winded “argument” with Henry about whether he is actually funny. The scene goes from seemingly playful banter to serious aggression and back to joking within the span of a little over a minute.

Tommy has been in the mafia for a lot longer than Henry, and this quote could be taken as a jab of spite. He might think that Henry isn’t taking him seriously. What is interesting is that the back-and-forth doesn’t deter Henry from backing down from Tommy until Tommy says this menacing line. The quote reveals an interesting power dynamic between the older gangsters and those who have just joined the mafia. It also illustrates just how dangerous Tommy is, a man who can take offense by a seemingly ordinary word.

1 “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

This quote from Henry’s epic monologue at the beginning of Goodfellas perfectly summarizes his desire to become a gangster. It is the best quote from Goodfellas because it sets up Henry’s motivation as a character. The film wouldn’t be what it is without Henry craving the power and status that comes with such a dangerous line of work, explaining why it was used as the film’s tagline for marketing purposes.

Young Henry (Christopher Serrone) always watched the gangsters across the street from his window and admired the lifestyle that they were living. No one messed with them; they had power, which a young Henry felt that he didn’t have because of his abusive father and lack of money. Henry achieved his dream of becoming a gangster and lived a seemingly idyllic life, at least for a while. The line is bittersweet, as the life Henry dreamed of when he was a kid didn’t last, hinting that childhood dreams seldom turn out the way we want them to.

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