Top 20 Inspirational Gangster Quotes to Live By

Explore a powerful collection of gangster quotes that inspire resilience, loyalty, and ambition. Discover wisdom from iconic figures and fictional characters alike.

Wisdom from the Masters

"In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then, when you get the money, you get the power. Then, when you get the power, you get the women."

- Scarface (1983)

Success

"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."

- Michael Corleone

Leadership

"There are three ways of doing things: the right or wrong way and how I do it."

- Robert De Niro

Ambition

"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone."

- Al Capone

Influence

"It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business."

- The Godfather (1972)

Integrity

"You must stop being all you are and become none of what you're not."

- American Gangster (2007)

Self-awareness

"I'm a gangster, and gangsters don't ask questions."

- Lil Wayne

Boldness

"I never lie because I don't fear anyone. You only lie when you're afraid."

- John Gotti

Integrity

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment."

- Mario Puzo

Awareness

"I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse."

- Vito Corleone

Boldness

"Attitude is attitude, whether you're a West Coast gangster or East Coast gangster, you know?"

- Paul Walker

Ambition

"I always tell the truth, even when I lie."

- Scarface (1983)

Integrity

"Great men are not born great; they grow great."

- Mario Puzo

Growth

"The Mafia is a question every time an Italian raises his head."

- Mario Cuomo

Awareness

"To me, being a gangster was better than being president of the United States."

- Greg Boyle

Ambition

"The lawyer with the briefcase can steal more money than the man with the gun."

- Mario Puzo

Morality

"Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut."

- Goodfellas (1990)

Learning from Mistakes

"The mafia is the best example of capitalism we have."

- Marlon Brando

Philosophy

"Isolation from power makes men look for a mob in which they can be strong."

- Herbert Gold

Adversity

"It's hard to tell whether there are more guns or flowers at a gangster's funeral."

- Will Rogers

Reflection

"Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family."

- Godfather

Family

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

- Will Durant

Achievement

"You can’t have a million-dollar dream with a minimum-wage work ethic."

- Stephen C. Hogan

Motivation

"The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room."

- Frank Lucas

Awareness

"You need more than guts to be a good gangster. You need ideas."

- Rocket

Creativity

"I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness."

- Al Capone

Transformation

"A thug only understands you when you speak his language."

- Alexander Lukashenko

Connection to Earth

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

- Oscar Wilde

Motivation

"Some of your worst gangsters are very low-key guys."

- Mickey Rourke

Awareness

"I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness."

- Al Pacino

Forgiveness

"When you're a kid, you see gangsters living the life and kind of want to be like that."

- Jaume Collet-Serra

Aspirations

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but rising every time we fall."

- Confucius

Resilience

"A team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide."

- Mickey Mantle

Teamwork

"Comparison is a thug that robs your joy."

- Ann Voskamp

Contentment

Bite-sized Inspirational Quotes

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."

Hard Work

"A gangster doesn't think of himself as a hustler; he thinks of himself as a businessman."

Ambition

"I didn't choose the thug life; the thug life chose me."

Ambition

"Everybody's a gangster until a gangster walks into the room."

Courage

"The gangster life is the life for me."

Ambition

"My lips are the gun; my smile is the trigger; my kisses are the bullets."

Love

"You will face enormous opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle."

Perseverance

"You can't accomplish anything if you are not courageous enough to take risks."

Courage

"If you can't win by fighting fair, fight foul, or have a third party fight with you."

Adaptation

"Loyalty is everything. You've got to give loyalty down if you want loyalty up."

Love

"Blood makes you related, while loyalty makes you blood."

Relationships

"A person who deserves my loyalty receives it."

Love

"Loyalty is a rare quality, and it's worth the wait."

Relationships

"The hustle brings the dollar, experience brings the knowledge, and persistence brings success."

Success

"A real gangster wants me to think he ain't. A fake wants me to believe he is."

Ambition

"Love your haters - they're your biggest fans."

Positivity

"Mess with her, and you mess with me. We deal with you as a team."

Relationships

"Young love is beautiful, but time makes fake love ugly."

Love

"I doubt your intention, man. I cannot trust your future actions."

Belief in Self

"Some people are like a penny. Two-faced and worthless."

Awareness