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Vito Corleone is the novel’s titular Godfather and the patriarch and “Don” (Boss) of the Corleone Family, one of the five Mafia crime families in New York. He is also among the novel’s principle protagonists alongside his sons Michael and Sonny (the Don’s middle son, Fredo, is a failure in the Family business and thus operates on the fringes of the Family and of the novel). Corleone was born Vito Andolini in the Sicilian village of Corleone, in Italy. In 1901, when Vito is a child, the local Mafia boss, Don Ciccio, murders both Vito’s father, Antonio, and Vito’s older brother, Paulo. Don Ciccio’s henchmen then attempt to kill Vito, but he escapes on a ship to New York, where he changes his last name to “Corleone.” In America, Vito befriends the young Genco Abbandando and works as a grocery clerk. Here, Puzo establishes Vito’s qualities that define his character throughout his life: his is cunning, forward-thinking, amiable, and even-tempered but also cruel when the situation demands it. Vito starts a family and collaborates with two local criminals, Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio. When Don Fanucci, the local “Black Hand” (extortionist), demands tribute money, Vito successfully murders him. This development begins Vito’s path towards becoming a respected (and feared) crime boss. He forms a legitimate olive oil company that he uses as a front for the various criminal activities, including gambling and bootlegging, that he consolidates over time into the Corleone Family. Through a combination of favoritism, palm-greasing, and subtly implied threats, the Don builds a network of “friends” (including judges and politicians), whose protection brings enormous power to his criminal enterprise. Vito’s wisdom, his use of violence as a last resort, and his willingness to aid those who promise loyalty to him as their “Godfather” makes him a rare voice of reason in the tumultuous criminal underworld.
Don Vito Corleone Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Don Vito Corleone or refer to Don Vito Corleone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
It was part of the Don’s greatness that he profited from everything.
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Luca Brasi did not fear the police, he did not fear society, he did not fear God, he did not fear hell, he did not fear or love his fellow man. But he had elected, he had chosen, to fear and love Don Corleone.
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“I believe in America. America has made my fortune.”
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“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
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“A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.”
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Chapter 8
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“Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal. You should know that by now.”
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Chapter 9
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He was surprised to find himself so secretive with Kay. He loved her, he trusted her, but he would never tell her anything about his father or the Family. She was an outsider.
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Chapter 12
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“But you can’t get sore at him. It’s like getting sore at God.”
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Chapter 16
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She might be a daughter of the Great Don but she was his wife, she was his property now and he could treat her as he pleased.
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Chapter 20
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Nothing was more calming, more conducive to pure reason, than the atmosphere of money.
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“We are all men who have refused to be fools, who have refused to be puppets dancing on a string pulled by the men on high. We have been fortunate here in this country […] Some of you have sons who are professors, scientists, musicians, and you are fortunate. Perhaps your grandchildren will become the new pezzonovanti.”
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Chapter 28
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“Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold.”
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Chapter 29
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He would see to it that they joined the general family of humanity, but he, as a powerful and prudent parent, would most certainly keep a wary eye on that general family.
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Don Vito Corleone Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Don Vito Corleone or refer to Don Vito Corleone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
It was part of the Don’s greatness that he profited from everything.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Luca Brasi did not fear the police, he did not fear society, he did not fear God, he did not fear hell, he did not fear or love his fellow man. But he had elected, he had chosen, to fear and love Don Corleone.
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“I believe in America. America has made my fortune.”
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“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
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“A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.”
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Chapter 8
Quotes
“Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal. You should know that by now.”
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Chapter 9
Quotes
He was surprised to find himself so secretive with Kay. He loved her, he trusted her, but he would never tell her anything about his father or the Family. She was an outsider.
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Chapter 12
Quotes
“But you can’t get sore at him. It’s like getting sore at God.”
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Chapter 16
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She might be a daughter of the Great Don but she was his wife, she was his property now and he could treat her as he pleased.
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Chapter 20
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Nothing was more calming, more conducive to pure reason, than the atmosphere of money.
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“We are all men who have refused to be fools, who have refused to be puppets dancing on a string pulled by the men on high. We have been fortunate here in this country […] Some of you have sons who are professors, scientists, musicians, and you are fortunate. Perhaps your grandchildren will become the new pezzonovanti.”
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Chapter 28
Quotes
“Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold.”
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Chapter 29
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He would see to it that they joined the general family of humanity, but he, as a powerful and prudent parent, would most certainly keep a wary eye on that general family.
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