How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Goodfellas.
Quote #1
JIMMY: Everybody gets pinched, but you did it right. You told 'em nothing, and they got nothing.
HENRY: I thought you'd be mad.
JIMMY: I'm not mad; I'm proud of you. You took your first pinch like a man, and you learned the two greatest things in life.
HENRY: What?
JIMMY: Look at me. Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.
Mobsters have a code of silence, and this is the first thing Henry learns. Henry is going to end up breaking it. Big time. That's why he has to go into the Witness Protection Program—he knows what happens to rats.
Quote #2
KAREN: They had bad skin and wore too much makeup. I mean, they didn't look very good. They look beat up, and the stuff they wore was thrown together and cheap: a lot of pantsuits and double knits. And they talked about how rotten their kids were and about beating them with broom handles and leather belts, but that their kids still didn't pay any attention. When Henry picked me up, I was dizzy.
Sorry, Karen. The mob wives have their own traditions, too. Unfortunately, they mainly consist of crimes against good taste. The wives are supposed to look a certain way, act a certain way, and simply look the other way when it comes to their husbands' infidelities. Check out The Real Housewives of New Jersey for some more recent examples.
Quote #3
KAREN: There was always a little harassment. They always wanted to talk to Henry about this or that. They'd come in with their subpoenas and warrants and make me sign, but mostly they were just looking for a handout: a few bucks to keep things quiet, no matter what they found. I always asked them if they wanted coffee. Some of the wives, like Mickey Conway, used to curse at them and spit on the floor. She used to spit on her own floor! That never made any sense to me. It was better to be polite and call the lawyer.
Dealing with cops and their search warrants is yet another mafia tradition, just part of the drill. As Karen explains, all of the wives handle it differently. Personally, we prefer Karen's coffee-serving approach to Mickey's spitting strategy.