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Don
Another title used by Don Vito Corleone. It is a term of endearment, respect, and authority. In the Catholic tradition, a godfather is a spiritual title bestowed upon a man by the parents of a new child. The chosen godfather takes a special interest in that child’s development and agrees to look after the child if his or her parents should die. Mario Puzo invented the title of “Godfather” for a Mafia Don to signify Vito Corleone’s power and status as a patriarchal figure to both his blood family and his crime family.
Godfather Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Godfather or refer to Godfather. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
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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 14
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When he became a Don and asked opponents to sit down and reason with him, they understood it was the last chance to resolve an affair without bloodshed and murder.
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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 19
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She was quite content not to share the pain of her men, after all did they share the pain of women?
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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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Chapter 30
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He understood that he would be happier in the world the Corleones had created than in the world outside.
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Godfather Term Timeline in The Godfather
The timeline below shows where the term Godfather appears in The Godfather. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...tanuts him before locking herself in the bedroom. The humiliated Johnny decides that only “his Godfather Corleone” can save him from his despair.
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...Katherine. Nazorine knows there is “only one man who could arrange such an affair. The Godfather. Don Corleone.”
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At the hospital, Genco implores the “Godfather” Don Corleone to save him from death. The Don admits that such an act is...
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Chapter 2
...Hagen for securing him the role in Woltz’s new movie and vows to get his Godfather a lavish Christmas gift. Michael also calls to tell Hagen that he and Kay will...
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Chapter 14
The narrative shifts backward in time to explore the Godfather’s origins. The Godfather was born Vito Andolini in the village of Corleone, in turn-of-the-century Sicily....
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...wealth by smuggling alcohol from Canada into the United States. In his neighborhood, Vito becomes Godfather to people in the neighborhood by performing services in exchange for their loyalty to him....
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Chapter 18
Hagen tells Bonasera, “you owe the Don a service,” and instructs him to meet the Godfather at his funeral parlor in one hour. At the funeral home, Bonasera waits for Don...
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Chapter 20
...knows: Barzini was behind Sollozzo and is still allied with the Tattaglias. Understanding that the Godfather is concocting a plan to deal with Barzini, Tom expects “a day of reckoning” in...
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Chapter 23
...inhabited.” Under Mafia rule, “Merit meant nothing. Talent meant nothing. Work meant nothing. The Mafia Godfather gave you your profession as a gift.” Michael contrasts Sicily’s natural beauty—botanical flowers, sunshine, and...
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Chapter 27
...times per year for weeklong engagements to draw in visitors. “I’ll do anything for my Godfather, you know that, Mike,” Johnny responds. Next, Michael promises Jules a surgeon’s job in a...
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Chapter 29
...are worth ten regimes.” A day before the scheduled meeting with Barzini, Michael stands as Godfather to Connie and Carlo’s child at a baptism ceremony. “I think Carlo and Mike are...
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