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20 pieces of wisdom from The Godfather trilogy

20 pieces of wisdom from The Godfather trilogy

20 pieces of wisdom from The Godfather trilogy
Danielle de Wolfe
01 February 2013

Now, not that we've even seen it multiple times or anything, but 1998 Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks rom-com You've Got Mail makes at least one extremely valid point: The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom.

As well as providing an epic crime saga that's gripped us time and time again, Francis Ford Coppola's iconic look at the Corleone family has also provided a seemingly endless fountain of quotable advice.

We've assembled 20 of the best below for you to ponder over. In an accent. Obviously.

(Images: All Star, YouTube)

Michael Corleone

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

Al Pacino - The Godfather Part II


Clemenza

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli"

Richard Castellano - The Godfather


Don Lucchesi

"Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger"

Enzo Robutti - The Godfather Part III


Vito Corleone

"A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man"

Marlon Brando - The Godfather


Michael Corleone

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment."

Al Pacino - The Godfather Part II


Tom Hagen

"This is business, not personal"

Robert Duvall - The Godfather


Hyman Roth

"Good health is the most important thing, more than success, more than money, more than power."

Lee Strasberg - The Godfather Part II


Calo

"In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns."

Franco Citti - The Godfather


Michael Corleone

"Don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family…Ever"

Al Pacino - The Godfather


Vito Corleone

"...make him an offer he can’t refuse"

Marlon Brando - The Godfather


Sonny Corleone

"Your country ain't your blood. Remember that."

James Caan - The Godfather Part II


Kay Corleone

"The sicker you get, the wiser you get"

Diane Keaton - The Godfather Part III


Vito Corleone

"Women and children can afford to be careless, but not men."

Marlon Brando - The Godfather


Archbishop Gilday

"It seems in today's world the power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness."

Donal Donnelly - The Godfather Part III


Michael Corleone

"It's dangerous to be an honest man."

Al Pacino - The Godfather Part III


Sonny Corleone

"Goddamn FBI don't respect nothin'."

James Caan - The Godfather


Tom Hagen

"No Sicilian can refuse any request on his daughter's wedding day"

Robert Duvall - The Godfather


Don Barzini

"A refusal is not the act of a friend."

Richard Conte - The Godfather


Calo

"Power corrupts those who do not have it."

Franco Citti - The Godfather Part III


Michael Corleone

"If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it's that you can kill anyone."

Al Pacino - The Godfather Part II