If you’re a fan of crime drama movies that will teach you a bunch of lessons, then this list of Donnie Brasco quotes is perfect for you!
Donnie Brasco is an American movie based on the real-life story of an undercover FBI agent, Joseph Pistone.
During his task, he takes on the name Donnie Brasco and infiltrates one of the most notorious New York Mafia organizations.
Joseph Pistone had to get closer to Lefty Ruggiero, a member of the mafia, to succeed in his mission.
But, instead of keeping things strictly business, he develops an actual bond with Lefty. This put him in a dilemma, tearing him between good and evil.
To succeed in his mission means to get his newfound friend killed. If you were placed in the same position, what would you do?
Indeed, Donnie Brasco makes us question and think about the two sides in every decision. If this piqued your interest, make sure you read through the complete list of quotes below!
Let’s begin.
And don’t forget to check out these Scarface quotes and Goodfellas quotes.
Best Donnie Brasco Quotes
1. “A wise guy’s always right. Even when he’s wrong, he’s right.” – Lefty Ruggiero
2. “I’m a spoke on a wheel. I am, and so are you.” – Lefty Ruggiero
3. “I’m telling ya, Donnie nothing but nothing but right.” – Lefty Ruggiero
4. “In all the five boroughs, I’m known. Forget about it. I’m known all over the f*cking world. Anybody asks about Lefty from Mulberry Street, you’re pissing up the world f*cking street, my friend.” – Lefty Ruggiero
5. Maggie Pistone: “God, why do you hate me when I love you so much?”
Donnie Brasco: “You think I hate you? I don’t hate you. This job is eating me alive. I can’t breathe anymore. And if I come out, this guy Lefty dies. They’re gonna kill him because he vouched for me. Because he stood up for me. I live with that every day. That’s the same thing if I put the bullet through his head myself, you understand? I spend all these years trying to be the good guy, you know? The man in the white f*cking hat. For what? For nothing. I’m not becoming like them, Maggie, I am them.”
Famous Donnie Brasco Quotes
6. “Why’d you pay for that drink? A wise guy never pays for his drinks.” – Lefty Ruggiero
7. “Anywhere you go, all around the world, all the best cooks are men.” – Lefty Ruggiero
8. Donnie Brasco: “You think I’m a rat?”
Lefty Ruggiero: “How many times have I had you in my house? If you’re a rat, then I’m the biggest mutt in the history of the Mafia.”
9. Japanese Waiter: “Take your shoes off.”
Donnie Brasco: “Take my shoes off? You take your pants off, what the fuck.”
10. “You’re gonna walk out on me? You don’t walk out on me. I walk out on you.” – Lefty Ruggiero
Donnie Brasco Quotes That Zoom in on a One-Of-A-Kind Bond
11. “When they send for you, you go in alive, you come out dead, and it’s your best friend that does it.” – Lefty Ruggiero
12. “If I say you’re a friend of mine, that means you’re connected. If I say you’re a friend of ours, that means you’re a made guy. If I introduce you, I’m responsible for you. Anything wrong with you, I go down.” – Lefty Ruggiero
13. “A guy like you don’t touch a made guy, you know what I did yesterday? I went in front of the skippers. I’m going on the record with you, nobody can touch you now, I’m your man. Jesus Christ couldn’t touch you because I represent you, keep your nose clean, be a good earner, follow the rules, and who knows? Maybe one day they open the books and you get straightened out, become a wise guy, a made guy, I’d die with you Donnie.” – Lefty Ruggiero
14. “You guys think this is funny. I’m a skipper now. I got to answer, 50 grand a month, kick up to Rusty every month. One day I’m going to die and I’m going to be here in the same bar with all the same f*cking guys, talking about the same f*cking scams, never amount to nothing, ‘cause that’s how I’ll know I’ll be sent to f*cking hell.” – Sonny Black
15. “And listen to me, if Donnie calls, tell him if it was gonna be anyone, I’m glad it was him. All right?” – Lefty Ruggiero
Also read: The Godfather Quotes, A Bronx Tale Quotes
Funny Donnie Brasco Quotes That’ll Have You Laughing
16. Lefty Ruggiero: “There’s the boss. And, under him, there’s the skipper. You know how this works?”
Donnie Brasco: “Yeah, it’s like in the army.”
Lefty Ruggiero: “Bullshit. The army is some guy you don’t know telling you to go whack some other guy you don’t know
17. Lefty Ruggiero: “Punch of salt.”
Donnie Brasco: “Punch?”
Lefty Ruggiero: “Punch. Punch of salt.”
Donnie Brasco: “Punch or pinch?”
Lefty Ruggiero: “Punch, punch. Not pinch. What’d I say? I say pinch?”
Donnie Brasco: “Nah, you said you said punch.”
Lefty Ruggiero: “Sometimes, you don’t make no f*cking sense, Donnie.”
18. Donnie Brasco: “Hey Richie, what are you trying to do, get me killed with that f*cking suit?”
Richie Gazzo: “What?”
Donnie Brasco: “That f*cking car, purple f*cking car. Don’t say the word ‘plotz,’ you understand?”
Richie Gazzo: “Yeah, yeah.”
19. “I never hear from my boss until he dies, then my whole life gets turned upside down!” – Lefty Ruggiero
20. Donnie Brasco: “I bet you can’t get through breakfast without saying three words.”
Daughter: “You lose!”
Also read: Funny Quotes, Gangster Quotes
Donnie Brasco Quotes to Revisit the Movie’s Most Exciting Scenes
21. Sonny Black: “How can John Wayne die?”
Lefty Ruggiero: “F*cking Indians got him.”
22. FBI Technician: “What’s, ‘Forget about it?’”
Donnie Brasco: “Forget about it is like if you agree with someone, you know like Raquel Welch is one great piece of *ss, forget about it. But then, if you disagree, like A. Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it! You know? But then, it’s also like if something’s the greatest thing in the world, like Mingia those peppers, forget about it. But it’s also like saying go to hell too. Like, you know, like hey Paulie, you got a one-inch p*cker? And Paulie says forget about it! Sometimes it just means forget about it.”
23. “Twenty years you know a guy, you f*cking whack him out just like that over a lounge? That’s beautiful.” – Donnie Brasco
24. Donnie Brasco: “Did you know there used to be falcons in New York?”
Lefty Ruggiero: “They got everything in this f*cking city.”
Donnie Brasco: “Peregrine falcons. They lived across the river.”
Lefty Ruggiero: “In Queens?”
Donnie Brasco: “In the Palisades.”
Lefty Ruggiero: “The Palisades is in Jersey, Donnie.”
Donnie Brasco: “I’m saying that’s why there are so many pigeons now. The falcons used to hunt them and kill them off.”
Lefty Ruggiero: “I love these f*cking pigeons. I’d die before I’d let anybody touch these pigeons.”
Donnie Brasco: “These falcons could read a newspaper from a mile up.”
Lefty Ruggiero: “A bird could read a newspaper?”
Donnie Brasco: “I’m saying their eyesight.”
25. “You know something? I got him. I got my hooks in the guy.” – Donnie Brasco
More Donnie Brasco Quotes for Fans of Crime and Drama
26. “Thirty years I’m busting my hump. What have I got?” – Lefty Ruggiero
27. “I got cancer of the prick.” – Lefty Ruggiero
28. “She’s a good woman, Annette. One broad, that’s enough for anyone.” – Lefty Ruggiero
29. “If anything should happen to me—make sure Annette gets the car.” – Lefty Ruggiero
30. “Joe. It’s over, honey. Come on, come home.” – Maggie Pistone
How Did These Donnie Brasco Quotes Change the Way You View Friendship and Life?
Trust and friendship are not easy to find, especially in Donnie Brasco’s line of work. But, despite this fact, he formed a bond with Lefty Ruggiero. It led him to countless dilemmas and hard decisions, but friendship is not something that people, even Donnie Brasco, normally regret.
We’re sure quotes from the movie kept you on the edge of your seats. Donnie Brasco, after all, is packed with many intense and provoking scenes. But, more than that, it also shares some lessons on camaraderie and how it ties together and interacts with one’s duty and work.
The same as in life, there will undoubtedly be times when our personal lives come face to face with our duties. But, does that mean one always has to be sacrificed over the other?
Conflict will arise between different aspects of our lives. However, we must understand that we should prioritize what’s good and beneficial for us and the majority.
Take Donnie Brasco’s experiences and quotes as an example. Move forward with a deeper understanding of life, relationships, and morality!
