The Godfather: Part III Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, in the film The Godfather: Part III, directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1990).

Let's keep this in the family, shall we? At the beginning of The Godfather: Part III, Michael Corleone has lived his life as the Godfather. He's the head of the Corleone crime family and he's done some not-so-nice things along the way… like having his own brother killed—yikes.

So, it's sort of fitting that, in this movie, he's trying to make things right. Michael is in the process of becoming a legitimate businessman. Remember, this is what he promised Kay he would do way back in The Godfather (Part I). That was nearly thirty years ago. Now, he's about to do a big deal that will take him out of the family business for good—a business he never really wanted to be part of in the first place. Of course, that's not turning out to be so easy.

In this scene, Michael finds out that he's been double-crossed by his mafia buddies. They're determined to mess up his big move into legitimacy. And with his words—"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"—Michael expresses his biggest fear. He'll never be able to escape this life. There's nothing he can do to get away from the things he's done and the sins he's committed.

Right after uttering this line, Michael has a diabetic stroke and is hospitalized. That makes this one realization all the more powerful. This is what Michael has been trying to achieve his entire life. He wants to bring his family out of the darkness and figure out a new way forward. But the end is nigh and he still hasn't gotten it done—poor guy.

Get pulled in with this clip.

Where you've heard it

Ever try to get out of something, only to get sucked back in again? That's the perfect time to break out this line. It also works when you're stuck in quicksand, too. You know, just in case you need a movie reference handy for those occasions.

Additional Notable References

• On Seinfeld, George thinks he can break up with his girlfriend after she's fired, but Jerry tells him no way. Every time George tries to get out she pulls him back in!
• Silvio from The Sopranos loves to show off his Pacino impression and this quote is one of his favorites.
• In an episode of Friends, Joey is cast as Al Pacino's butt-double and channels a little Michael Corleone for good luck.
• On the show The Middleman, Spanky quotes from lots of gangster movies, including this gem from The Godfather: Part III.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Sure, this line might be true, but you could end up sounding a bit bombastic if you let it fly every time you run to a Starbucks to order a Pumpkin Spice Latte.