Famous Mob Quotes (Part 2)

Part 2 of the most powerful and provocative quotes from history’s most notorious mobsters — from Anthony Corallo’s quiet reflection to John Gotti’s explosive rage. Words spoken by men who lived outside the law and made their own rules.

“I like to be myself. Misery loves company”

Anthony Corallo — Tony Ducks, boss of the Lucchese crime family, earned his nickname from his ability to duck convictions for decades. He was eventually caught by FBI wiretaps aboard his own yacht and sentenced to 100 years in prison at the Commission Trial of 1986. He died in prison in 2000.

“Other kids are brought up nice and sent to Harvard and Yale. Me? I was brought up like a mushroom”

Frank Costello — the Prime Minister of the Underworld, the most politically connected mob boss in American history. Born in poverty in Calabria and raised on the streets of East Harlem, Costello built his power through bribery, diplomacy and the cultivation of judges, politicians and police. He survived an assassination attempt in 1957 and died on his birthday in 1973.

“Run from a knife and rush a gun”

Jimmy Hoffa — the Teamsters Union boss whose mob connections and eventual disappearance became one of the enduring mysteries of American criminal history. Hoffa vanished on July 30, 1975, from the car park of a suburban Detroit restaurant. His body has never been found.

“There are three sides to every story. Mine, yours and the truth”

Joe Massino — the last sitting boss of the Five Families to turn government witness, Massino ran the Bonanno family for years before his 2004 arrest. Facing the death penalty, he agreed to cooperate — becoming the most senior mob boss ever to testify for the prosecution.

“Don’t let your tongue be your worst enemy”

John Franzese — one of the longest-serving members of the Colombo family, Franzese was convicted at the age of 70 and served time well into his nineties, becoming one of the oldest federal inmates in American history. He died in 2020 aged 103.

“I called your house five times yesterday… This is not a game. My time is valuable”

John Gotti — the Dapper Don, boss of the Gambino family throughout the 1980s. Gotti’s FBI wiretaps captured not just evidence of his crimes but his explosive personality in full. The recordings became central to his 1992 conviction and revealed the volatile, demanding character behind the tailored suits.

“Behind every great fortune, there is a crime”

Lucky Luciano — the architect of the modern American Mafia, the man who created the Commission and transformed organised crime from warring street gangs into a structured national corporation. Deported to Italy in 1946, he died of a heart attack at Naples airport in 1962.

“Always overpay your taxes. That way you’ll get a refund”

Meyer Lansky — the mob’s financial genius, who built casino operations in Cuba and Las Vegas and reportedly controlled a fortune worth hundreds of millions. He died in 1983 leaving an estate of just $57,000. The IRS never got him.

“I’ve seen many lives destroyed. I’ve seen more people have problems with gambling than drugs and alcohol”

Michael Franzese — son of John Franzese and a former Colombo family capo who walked away from the mob in the 1980s. He became a motivational speaker and author, one of the very few men in American Mafia history to leave the life without entering witness protection or dying violently.

“My uncle always told me, you always have to use your brains in this thing, and you always have to use the gun”

Philip Leonetti — underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under his uncle Nicky Scarfo. Leonetti was one of the most feared men in Philadelphia until he became a government witness in 1989, providing testimony that put dozens of mob figures behind bars including Scarfo himself.

“Honest people have no ethics”

Sam DeCavalcante — boss of the DeCavalcante crime family in New Jersey, whose FBI-recorded conversations in the 1960s became the basis for The Sopranos. DeCavalcante’s tapes captured the mundane reality of mob life — business disputes, family gossip and the ordinary bureaucracy of organised crime.

“Never open your mouth unless you’re in the dentist chair”

Sammy “The Bull” Gravano — John Gotti’s underboss who confessed to 19 murders and became the most consequential mob informant since Joe Valachi. His testimony put Gotti away for life. The irony of this particular quote from a man who opened his mouth to the FBI is not lost on history.

“The United States of America versus Anthony Spilotro. Now what kind of odds are those?”

Tony Spilotro — the Chicago Outfit’s enforcer in Las Vegas whose brutal story inspired the character Nicky Santoro in Martin Scorsese’s Casino. Spilotro was murdered in June 1986, beaten to death alongside his brother Michael in an Indiana basement on orders from the Outfit.

“We don’t break our captains. We kill them”

Vincent Gigante — the Chin, boss of the Genovese crime family, who wandered his Greenwich Village neighbourhood in a bathrobe for decades to feign mental illness and avoid prosecution. The ruse worked for years. He was eventually convicted and died in federal prison in 2005.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Vincent Gigante say about loyalty?

Vincent Gigante — boss of the Genovese family who feigned mental illness for decades — said: “We don’t break our captains. We kill them.” A statement of brutal clarity about the mob’s approach to internal discipline. Gigante ran the most powerful of the Five Families and died in federal prison in 2005.

What did Sammy Gravano say about talking?

“Never open your mouth unless you’re in the dentist chair.” Gravano’s own advice — made ironic by the fact that he became the most significant mob informant since Joe Valachi, testifying against John Gotti and sending him to prison for life.

What did Frank Costello say about his upbringing?

“Other kids are brought up nice and sent to Harvard and Yale. Me? I was brought up like a mushroom.” Costello was born in poverty in Calabria and raised on the streets of East Harlem, becoming the most politically connected mob boss in American history.

What did John Gotti say on wiretap?

FBI wiretaps captured Gotti threatening an associate: “I called your house five times yesterday, now if you’re going to disregard my phone calls, I’ll blow you and that house up.” The recordings became central evidence in his 1992 murder and racketeering conviction.