"You know, the world isn't run by the laws written on paper. It's run by people. Some, according to laws and others not. It depends on each individual how his world will be, how he makes it. You also need a whole lot of luck, so that somebody else doesn't make your life hell.
It ain't as simple as they tell you in grade school, but it is good to have strong values and to maintain them. In marriage, in crime, in war, always and everywhere.

I messed up. So did Paulie and Sam. We wanted a better life, but in the end we were a lot worse off than most other people.

You know, I think it's important to keep a balance in things. Yeah, balance, that's the right word, because the guy who wants too much risks losing absolutely everything. Of course, the guy who wants too little from life, might not get anything at all."