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Goodfellas

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More than any other role in his long and impressive acting career, Ray Liotta will be remembered for his work in Goodfellas. The actor, who died today at age 67, will live on forever in Martin Scorsese’s biographical crime-drama as Henry Hill, a young Italian-American man who grows enamored with the local Mafia while growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s, motivating him to join and rise through the ranks. What ensues is an unforgettable story about the money you make, the bonds you form (and break), and ways a person’s life can completely change and unravel in the pursuit of power.

Considered one of the best films of all-time, the multi-Academy Award nominated and star-studded (Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino headline the cast) Goodfellas is unsurprisingly chock-full of memorable quotes and moments, most of which come from the film’s star, Liotta himself. Though it was hard to narrow it down, here are the 10 best quotes from Ray Liotta as mobster Henry Hill in Goodfellas.

A Gangster

goodfellas-deniro-liotta — Photo: Everett Collection

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

We Always Called Each Other Good Fellas

goodfellas-mob — Photo: Everett Collection

“You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, ‘You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a good fella. He’s one of us.’ You understand? We were good fellas. Wiseguys.”

I'm in Construction

“I’m in construction… I’m a union delegate.”

Murderers Come With Smiles

“If you’re part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they’re going to kill you, doesn’t happen that way. There weren’t any arguments or curses like in the movies. See, 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.”

You're Dead

“I swear to my fucking mother, if you touch her again, YOU’RE DEAD.”

He Goes to Paulie

Goodfellas Ray Liotta Paul Sorvino — Photo: Everett Collection

“Now the guy’s got Paulie as a partner. Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy’s gotta come up with Paulie’s money every week, no matter what. Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning, huh? Fuck you, pay me.”

I'm an Average Nobody

“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. Didn’t matter. It didn’t mean anything. When I was broke, I’d go out and rob some more. 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. And that’s the hardest part. Today everything is different; there’s no action… have to wait around like everyone else. Can’t even get decent food – right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce, and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I’m an average nobody… get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”

We Just Took It

Goodfellas main cast — Photo: Everett Collection

“For us to live any other way was nuts. Uh, to us, those goody-good people who worked shitty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day, and worried about their bills, were dead. I mean, they were suckers. They had no balls. If we wanted something, we just took it. If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.”

I Thought I Was Dead

“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.”