Gangster movies are home to some of the best quotes in any genre, and many of them are pure genius, thanks to their deeper meanings. The gangster genre is one of Hollywood’s oldest, going back to the silent era with films like Intolerance. Names like Paul Nuni and James Cagney set the template for what gangsters sounded like.

Since that time, movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas have helped revolutionize the gangster genre. These movies, as well as other classics like Casino, On the Waterfront, and newer movies like The Departed, know what it means to be a gangster. The quotes from these films are quite brilliant.

“There Is Only One Guarantee: None Of Us Will See Heaven”

Road to Perdition is a gangster movie that many fans seem to overlook. Directed by Sam Mendes and based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, the film follows a mob enforcer whose own surrogate father, who is also his mob boss, turns against him after a hit gone wrong.

Tom Hanks stars as the mob enforcer, Michael Sullivan. Sr., and when his employer Rooney (Paul Newman) allows the murder of his family, he sets out for revenge. When speaking to Rooney, the mob boss delivers a cutting line, and it has a profound meaning.

Rooney knows that there is no happy ending for people like him and Michael. He also knows that, no matter how much they pretend, there is not even a happy afterlife for them. These are criminals and killers, and even the best of them will never see Heaven when they die. Their fate is sealed, and they are all doomed.

“All I Have In This World Is My Balls And My Word And I Don’t Break ‘Em For No One”

The 1983 version of Scarface is a remake of a brilliant gangster movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and thanks to Al Pacino, it holds up well alongside the original. Some fans even consider it the better of the two releases. Much of this is thanks to the dialogue in a script written by Oliver Stone.

While most people love to throw out the classic quote, “Say hello to my little friend,” there is a brilliant quote that Tony Montana says in the movie as well. He spends the entire film fighting for respect, and this quote reveals how important his reputation is to him, at least in the eyes of others.

The quote conveys its message with a touch of crude humor that makes it memorable. Tony admits that his word is essential to him, and he wants people to trust him. However, adding the lines about not letting people break his balls also says a lot about the gangster.

“You Don’t Make Up For You Sins In Church. You Do It In The Streets”

Before Martin Scorsese made his gangster masterpieces in the 90s with Goodfellas and Casino, he directed an early-career gangster movie called Mean Streets. Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro starred in the movie as low-level gangsters on the streets who lived a life of danger to the end.

That makes this quote from the movie all the more profound. The men who took part in the street-level crimes for the mafia families knew they had to commit evil acts. They also knew there was no forgiveness coming from God, since they had already crossed that line.

However, this quote suggests that there is only one place a gangster can find redemption and forgiveness, and that is on the streets, where the only people who hold their fate are their fellow gang members.

“I Don’t Want To Be A Product Of My Environment. I Want My Environment To Be A Product Of Me.”

Martin Scorsese remade the brilliant South Korean gangster film Infernal Affairs, and his remake ultimately became an Oscar favorite. The film sees a mole sent undercover as a Boston police officer, while a police officer is sent in undercover to infiltrate the mob. Neither knows who the other is.

The most genius quote in this gangster movie comes from Jack Nicholson’s mafia boss, Frank Costello. He explains to Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio), the undercover cop, his main goal as the head of his mafia family. It is a profoundly stated sentiment, which suggests that these criminals simply want to be respected.

The quote reveals that Frank knows that society tries to mold people into what it wants them to be. However, to be successful and strong, a person needs to take control and shape society into what they want it to be, and that is every mafia don’s ultimate goal.

“The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled, Was Convincing The World He Didn’t Exist”

The Usual Suspects has fallen off most people’s discussion lists due to several real-world problems with its cast and director, but the film remains a great, twisting tale of criminals in over their heads. The entire story is about a heist gone wrong and a series of betrayals perpetrated by the mysterious Keyser Söze.

The script, by Christopher McQuarrie, has Keyser Söze in plain sight through the entire movie. However, this is not revealed until the end of the film, when his identity is made apparent, but it is too late for the police to do anything to stop him. That is why this quote is so important.

This quote is based on Verbal Kint as he reveals himself to the audience to be Keyser Söze, and the line is perfect because his entire deal in this movie was that he convinced the world he didn’t exist, all while pulling all the strings to get what he wanted.

“Made It, Ma! Top Of The World!”

The quote in White Heat by James Cagney’s Cody Jarrett has numerous hidden meanings, revealing how great the film’s story is. Cody is a criminal who runs the Jarrett Gang. However, his personal life is what is really interesting here. He is married, but Cody has a strong Oedipal Complex with his mother, Ma Jarrett.

The movie sees Cody running rampant, while the police slowly close in on him. They finally catch up with him at the end, and the White Heat ending sees Cody go out in a blaze of glory.

This brilliantly genius gangster movie quote is what Cody yells at the end. He screams it out to his mother, who police have taken into custody, before he blows up the oil tanker next to him, dying in an explosive blaze of glory. He is on top of the world because he died his own way, and he had to let his mom know he made it.

“Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies Closer”

The Godfather Part II is arguably the best gangster movie of all time, as it continues the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) while also telling a parallel story about his father, Vito (Robert De Niro), and his rise to the top. Michael learns the dangers and ends up growing more corrupt along the way.

This Michael Corleone quote is important because it shows that he knows that it is better to keep enemies close to them so they can see any attacks coming. This is also a way to illustrate why Michael and his father, Vito, were able to survive as long as they did, despite making numerous enemies.

What makes this quote so important is that it has lived a life beyond the movie. This is used by many people in various areas of life, and it demonstrates why the line is so brilliant. The quote was initially based on something Sun Tzu said, but this exact quote is what people use mostly today.

“I Coulda Been A Contender”

On the Waterfront is a crime drama about a former boxer whose career ended when he agreed to throw a fight for a mob boss. He then got a job working on the docks for the mob boss and ended up involved with some more underhanded dealings.

Marlon Brando stars as Terry Malloy, and he spends the entire movie realizing that he could have been so much more, but ended up in a life he never wanted, thanks to making a deal he should have avoided to begin with. This quote is his lament that his life could have been so much better.

This is similar to many gangsters’ feelings, especially when they realize there is no way to the top and the only endpoint is the grave. Terry’s quote is one that shows what could have been, and it is an indictment on the decisions that lead people to their doom.

“As Far Back As I Can Remember, I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster.”

Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is his masterpiece in the gangster genre. The movie is unique because it takes viewers into the dealings of the mafia from the point of view of a man who ultimately betrayed them and turned over evidence to the police to save himself.

However, this genius gangster movie quote shows why someone like Henry Hill would get involved with the mafia in the first place. He admits that he always wanted to be a gangster. This comes from living in an area where gangsters run the streets, and the glamor of the mythical gangsters on the big screen.

As the movie progresses, Henry comes to realize what others have learned before him. There is no way out of this life other than at the other end of a bullet. Henry found a different way out, but this quote reveals why a person like him would be drawn to a life of crime in the first place.

“I’m Gonna Make Him An Offer He Can’t Refuse.”

The first Godfather movie revolutionized what gangster movies could look like on the big screen. This was a very long movie, one that told the story of Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) as he ran his crime family and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), his son, who ultimately assumed his father’s role at the end.

The main difference between Vito and other gangsters is that he prefers to keep the peace with other gangsters and prefers to make deals rather than kill his enemies. This was a line he delivered to an actor he had helped rise in Hollywood when a producer was giving him a hard time.

Vito Corleone delivered this quote, saying he would offer a deal the producer would never reject, and it involved a violent moment, but one that made it clear. No one would cross Vito, and if they did, there would be consequences. It remains the best gangster movie quote in history for that reason.