The Don of the Barzini Family, the second most powerful Family behind the Corleones. Barzini controls gambling in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. He also has interests in Las Vegas, Cuba, and Miami Beach. Barzini allies with Phillip Tattaglia and Virgil Sollozzo to murder Don Vito Corleone in order to weaken Corleone’s turf and absorb his political connections.
Emilio Barzini Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Emilio Barzini or refer to Emilio Barzini. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 20
Quotes
Nothing was more calming, more conducive to pure reason, than the atmosphere of money.
Related Characters:Emilio Barzini, Don Vito Corleone, Thomas “Tom” Hagen, Phillip Tattaglia
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
267
Explanation and Analysis:
Don Corleone has just brokered a peace meeting between the heads of the Five Families and other Mafia families across the country. After the murder of Sonny, the Don hopes to avoid further bloodshed by negotiating an end to Five Families War. Fittingly, the mobsters assemble in a bank conference room. This passage marks one of several instances in which Puzo emphasizes that money, above all else, fuels the Mob. At its core, the Mafia Families are profit-generating enterprises: their only goal is make money by any means necessary, legal or illegal. The supremacy of money hangs over the very Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis cons
“We are all men who have refused to be fools, who have refused to be puppets dancing on a string pulled by the men on high. We have been fortunate here in this country […] Some of you have sons who are professors, scientists, musicians, and you are fortunate. Perhaps your grandchildren will become the new pezzonovanti.”
Related Characters:Don Vito Corleone (speaker), Emilio Barzini, Thomas “Tom” Hagen, Phillip Tattaglia
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
278
Explanation and Analysis:
At the peace meeting between the Five Families, Don Corleone explains why he hopes the Mafia will move towards legitimacy in the future. In this process, however, he speaks to the Mafia’s complicated view of legitimate society: the mob both rejects and embraces the legitimate power of the pezzonanvante. At first, Don Corleone compares the pezzonovante (the “big shot” doctors, lawyers, politicians, etc.) to the puppet masters who try to turn Mafia members into puppets “dancing on a string” from “on high.” The last phrase indicates that Don Corleone sees the pezzonavonate’s position as one of self-designated moral superiority. Yet, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi
“Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold.”
Related Characters:Don Vito Corleone (speaker), Michael Corleone, Santino “Sonny” Corleone, Thomas “Tom” Hagen, Peter “Pete” Clemenza, Salvatore “Sal” Tessio, Emilio Barzini, Phillip Tattaglia, Bruno Tattaglia
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
387
Explanation and Analysis:
Here, Michael and Don Corleone meet with Tom Hagen, Sal Tessio, and Peter Clemenza to inform them of their plan to reassert the Corleone Family’s dominance over the Five Families and finally end the Mafia war. This passage accompanies the transition of leadership from Don Corleone to Michael, and it epitomizes the qualities that made Vito Corleone such as effective Mafia leader. The Don likens vengeance to a dish “that tastes best when it is cold” to emphasize how patience is an essential trait a Don must possess. Much like a man who waits to enjoy food after it cools Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molest
Emilio Barzini Character Timeline in The Godfather
The timeline below shows where the character Emilio Barzini appears in The Godfather. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20
...shipping in New Jersey, Ottilio Cuneo, who runs smuggling in upper New York State, Emilio Barzini, head of the second most powerful Family behind the Corleones, and Phillip Tattaglia, whose Family...
(full context)
Don Barzini responds to Don Corleone’s “reasonable” opening statement. “Don Corleone is too modest,” he states, adding...
(full context)
...other Dons concur, and they agree to permit a regulated drug traffic—controlled mostly by the Barzinis and the Tattaglias—with Don Corleone supplying some political protection for it in the East.
(full context)
...as much as needed to bring Michael home from Sicily safely. The Don suspects that Barzini knows Michael is there and will send assassins after him. This revelation leads Hagen to...
(full context)
Chapter 28
...the Five Families and Don Corleone’s retirement, the Corleone Family’s strength has declined, leaving the Barzini Family as the strongest in New York. Michael is now positioned to take over as...
(full context)
...vengeance for Apollonia and Sonny as well as a way to wrest power from Don Barzini. “Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold,” the Don responds. With...
(full context)
Chapter 29
...the caporegimes that his plan for moving forward remains unaltered. Clemenza warns him that “the Barzinis and Tattaglias are going to move in on us real hard […] you gotta fight...
(full context)
...traitor will betray the Corleone Family by setting up a peace meeting between him and Barzini. Michael knows that this meeting will be a trap for Barzini to kill him. The...
(full context)
...up the hit, Tessio stands to inherit the Corleone Family and forge an allegiance with Barzini that will end the long-simmering war between the Five Families. Unlike the late Don Corleone,...
(full context)
Chapter 31
Rocco Lampone drives his car to a small hotel off the Jones Beach Causeway where Barzini’s and Tattaglia’s assassins murdered Sonny Corleone. He enters a hotel room to find a naked...
(full context)
...tells Hagen that he hopes Michael can secure “a good deal” at the meeting with Barzini. As Tessio and Hagen prepare to leave for the meeting, a group of bodyguards surround...
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...accompany him. “You have to answer for Santino,” Michael says, “you fingered Sonny for the Barzini people.” A terrified Carlo swears his innocence, but Michael cuts him off to tell him...
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...asks which of the other Dons approached Carlo to betray Sonny, Carlos says it was Barzini. As punishment, Michael says he will send Carlo to Las Vegas and exile him from...
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...dispose of any remaining traitors, Clemenza and new caporegime, Lampone take control of the remaining Barzini rackets and murder those men still loyal to the murdered Don. Those Barzini and Tattaglia...
(full context)