Goodfellas Morality and Ethics Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Goodfellas.

Quote #4

HENRY: Whenever we needed money, we'd rob the airport. To us, it was better than Citibank.

Henry and his crew have an incredible sense of entitlement. The way they see it, that airport is in their neighborhood, and that means it's theirs, baby. But really, it's beyond just entitlement. The idea of whether it's right or wrong to do it doesn't even enter into the picture.

Quote #5

HENRY: For us, to live any other way was nuts. To us, those goody-good people who worked s***ty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day, worried about their bills, were dead. 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. It was just all routine. You didn't even think about it.

It's clear from this quote that Henry doesn't view the family's morals and ethics as skewed. The way he sees it, they're just smarter than those average Joes and Janes who ride the subway and worry about their bills. You know, like you and us.

Quote #6

KAREN: What do you do?

HENRY: I'm in construction.

[Karen feels Henry's hands.]

KAREN: They don't feel like you're in construction.

HENRY: Ah, I'm a union delegate.

Here's our first glimpse of Karen's willingness to ignore that little voice in her head saying, "Uh, you know your boyfriend is totally mobbed up, right?"