“In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.”

“My dear Guiliano," he said, "how is it that you and Don Croce do not join together to rule Sicily? He has the wisdom of age, you have the idealism of youth.”

“Preparing the communal evening meal sometimes caused arguments. Every village in Sicily had a different recipe for squid and eels, disagreed on what herbs should be disbarred from the tomato sauce. And whether sausages should ever be baked.”

“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.”

“Time erodes gratitude more quickly than it does beauty!”

“A lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a thousand men with guns.”

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