How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Goodfellas.
Quote #7
PAULIE: Vinnie, don't put too many onions in the sauce.
VINNIE: I didn't put too much onions, uh, Paul. Three small onions. That's all I did.
JOHNNY: Three onions? How many cans of tomatoes you put in there?
VINNIE: I put two cans, two big cans.
JOHNNY: You don't need three onions.
It's not a family dinner until somebody has a disagreement.
Quote #8
KAREN: Even Paulie—since he got out, I never see him. I never see anybody anymore.
HENRY: It's only you and me. That's what happens when you go away. I told you that. We're on our own. Forget everybody else! Forget Paulie! As long as he's on parole, he doesn't want anybody doing anything.
So, that's how it works. When you get locked up, you're the proverbial red-headed stepchild.
Quote #9
HENRY: You know, we always called each other "goodfellas." Like you said to, uh, somebody, "You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us." You understand? We were goodfellas. Wiseguys. But Jimmy and I could never be made because we had Irish blood. It didn't even matter that my mother was Sicilian. To become a member of a crew, you've got to be 100 percent Italian so they can trace all your relatives back to the old country. See, it's the highest honor they can give you. It means you belong to a family and a crew. It means that nobody can f*** around with you. It also means you could f*** around with anybody, just as long as they aren't also a member. It's like a license to steal. It's a license to do anything. As far as Jimmy was concerned, with Tommy being made, it was like we were all being made. We would now have one of our own as a member.
This is a long quote, but there's a lot of good stuff packed in here. Henry's summation of what a "goodfella" is reveals a lot about the family's insular mentality. There's us, and then there's everybody else. Then, there's his explanation of how and why wiseguys get made: it's how they "officially" belong, and it's considered the highest honor you can receive; that's how mega-important family is. Finally, there's the part about Jimmy's excitement over Tommy getting made—specifically the idea of having "one of our own" as a member. That shows that Henry and Jimmy will never really be part of the family no matter what they do, but they can be proud of Tommy.