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Made his Bones
A Sicilian term that means “big shot” and “.95 Caliber,” referring to a particularly large and powerful rifle cartridge (hence, a “big shot”). In Puzo’s novel, Vito Corleone and other Mafia members refer to professionals such as lawyers, doctors, professors, politicians, church leaders and others who hold power and social capital in legitimate society as the pezzonavante. The term is largely pejorative, as Mafia members often believe the pessonovante’s power to be less than their own.
Pezzonovante Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Pezzonovante or refer to Pezzonovante. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
“A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.”
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Here, Puzo provides background information on how Don Corleone took in the orphaned Tom Hagen, who then pursued a career in law. With this quote, Don Corleone expresses his conflicted opinion about the pezzonovante, the “big shot” lawyers, politicians, and other socially respected leaders who control legitimate society. Throughout the novel, Don Corleone and other mobsters mock and resent the pezzonovante, whom they feel unjustly dictate what other men (especially men in the Mafia) can and cannot do with their lives. Don Corleone also believes that his willingness to flout legitimate society’s laws makes him more powerful than the pezzonovante, 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 co
Chapter 12 Quotes
“But you can’t get sore at him. It’s like getting sore at God.”
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Here, Tom Hagen tells Johnny Fontane that Jack Woltz is using his influence to stop Johnny from winning an Academy Award. Thinking Don Corleone cannot stop Woltz, an angry Johnny lashes out at Tom before realizing that he is actually angry with his Godfather. He likens this anger to “getting sore at God.” This passage is one of several that compares Don Corleone to God, and it speaks to the immense power the Godfather wields even in the film industry on the other side of the country. By comparing the Don to God, Puzo explores his own conflicted feelings about 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 tempor
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Pezzonovante Term Timeline in The Godfather
The timeline below shows where the term Pezzonovante appears in The Godfather. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...for the Corleone Family. Hagen arrives in Los Angeles and meets with Jack Woltz, a pezzonovante (“big shot”) with powerful connections. Hagen offers to quell labor union agitation and to “handle”...
(full context)
Chapter 20
...that drugs are unlike whiskey, gambling, and women, vices that people want, but which the pezzonovantes in the church and in governments forbid. Dealing in drugs, will cost him his political...
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