Nicholas Pileggi

“These weren't guys who read books. These were guys who broke legs.”

“For a guy who likes sure things, the casino business is the best in the world.”

“In Las Vegas, everybody's a somebody.”

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

“I'm an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”

“Running a casino is like robbing a bank with no cops around.”

“They were blue-collar guys. The only way they could make a lot of money was to go into the rackets.”

“Murder was the only way that everybody stayed in line. You got out of line, you got whacked. Everybody knew the rules.”

“No matter how big a guy might be, Nicky would take him on.”

“For these guys, loyalty was everything. You break that, you're dead.”

“It was a glorious time. Wise guys were living like kings.”

“I grew up in a neighborhood where the guy who owned the candy store was a bookie.”

“He was a money-making machine. That's all they cared about.”

“The feds can bug your phone, your car, your house. But they can't bug your head.”

“For us to live any other way was nuts.”

“The mob is like a religion. It's got its own Ten Commandments.”