A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy.

Martin Scorsese: You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it.
Johnny Boy: You too good for this ten dollars? It's a good ten dollars. You know Michael, you make me laugh. You see, I borrow money all over this neighborhood, left and right from everybody, I never pay them back. So, I can't borrow no money from nobody no more, right? So who would that leave me to borrow money from but you? I borrow money from you, because you're the only jerk-off around here who I can borrow money from without payin' back, right? You know, 'cause that's what you are, that's what I think of you: a jerk-off. You're a fucking jerk-off! You're laughing 'cause you're a jerk-off. I'll tell 'ya something else,
[lights ten dollar bill on fire]
Johnny Boy: I fuck you right where you breath, because I don't give two shits about you or nobody else.
[Michael jumps at Johnny Boy and they both fight but Charlie breaks them up, Johnny Boy pulls out a gun]
Johnny Boy: Come on... Come on... fuck face! Come on... 'ya motherfucker! Motherfucker!... come on! I got somethin' for 'ya asshole!
Michael Longo: You don't- you don't have the guts to use that.
Johnny Boy: Oh, I don't have the guts, huh? Come over here, I'll shove this up yer ass! Come on!
[Michael leaves]
Johnny Boy: Hey asshole, this is for you asshole! He's a fucking asshole!
[laughs]
[They all raise their glasses to The Queen]
Charlie: You know what the Queen said? If I had balls, I'd be King.
Charlie: It's all bullshit except the pain. The pain of hell. The burn from a lighted match increased a million times. Infinite. Now, ya don't fuck around with the infinite. There's no way you do that. The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart... your soul, the spiritual side. And ya know... the worst of the two is the spiritual.
Johnny Boy: Hey, why don't you lower the jukebox, I can't hear nothin'.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: Hey, the girls like the music loud.
Johnny Boy: Girls. You call those skanks girls?
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [to Charlie] Hey, what's a matter with this kid, huh?
Johnny Boy: Hey, there ain't nothin' wrong with me my friend, I'm feelin' fine.
Charlie: Keep your mouth shut.
Johnny Boy: You tell me that in front of this asshole?
Joey 'Clams' Scala: Alright, alright, we're not gonna pay. We're not paying.
Jimmy: But why? Joey, we just said we were gonna have a drink.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [Joey interupts] We're not payin', because this guy, this guy's a fuckin' mook.
Jimmy: But I didn't say nothin'.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: And we don't pay mooks.
Jimmy: Mook? I'm a mook?
Joey 'Clams' Scala: Yeah
Jimmy: What's a mook?
Johnny Boy: A mook, what's a mook?
Tony DeVienazo: I don't know...
Johnny Boy: What's a mook?
Jimmy: You can't call me a mook!
Joey 'Clams' Scala: I can't?
Jimmy: No...
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [pause] I'll give you mook!
[punches Jimmy in the face]
Michael Longo: [showing a picture of his new girlfriend] You think she's good-looking? She's smart, too. She's gonna be a teacher.
Tony DeVienazo: Let me see that. Oh, I know this girl.
Michael Longo: Yeah?
Tony DeVienazo: Yeah... I saw her kissing a nigger under a bridge.
Michael Longo: What? What do you mean?
Tony DeVienazo: A nigger. As in black. A nigger.
Michael Longo: But what do you mean?
Tony DeVienazo: [rolls his eyes] I mean... kissing. Her lips on his lips. Kissing.
Michael Longo: [worried] I kissed her.
Giovanni Cappa: Honorable men go with honorable men.
[referring to his epileptic cousin Teresa]
Johnny Boy: I always wondered what happens when she comes. Does she have a fit?
Johnny Boy: Hey, sorry lady! I'm sorry! I hate that lady with a passion... with a vengeance.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [the cops have broken up the fight, taken a bribe, and left the bar] This is the drink we never had before.
Johnny Boy: I fuck you right where you breathe.
Johnny Boy: You see, I borrow money all over this neighborhood, left and right from every BODY, I never pay them back. So, I can't borrow no money from nobody no more, right? So, who would that leave me to borrow money from but you? I borrow money from you, because you're the only jerk-off around here who I can borrow money from without payin' back, right? You know, 'cause that's what you are, that's what I think of you: a jerk-off.
Charlie: You know something? She is really good-lookin'. I gotta say that again. She is really good-lookin'. But she's black. You can see that real plain, right? Look, there isn't much of a difference anyway, is there. Well, is there?
Johnny Boy: Y'know Joey Clams...
Charlie: Yeah.
Johnny Boy: ...Joey Scallops, yeah.
Charlie: I know him too, yeah.
Johnny Boy: ...yeah. No. No, Joey Scallops is Joey Clams.
Charlie: Right.
Johnny Boy: Right.
Charlie: ...they're the same person!
Johnny Boy: Yeah!
Charlie: 'ey!
Johnny Boy: 'ey...
Charlie: Twenty dollars! Let's go da movies!
Johnny Boy: What's the matter, you too good for this ten dollars? Huh? You too good for it? It's a good ten dollars. Know somethin' Mikey? You make me laugh. You know that?
Giovanni Cappa: This Johnny Boy is like your mister Groppi... a little crazy. It's nice you should help him out because of his family and our family but watch yourself... Don't spoil anything. His whole family has problems... his cousin, the girl who lives next door to you...
Charlie: Teresa.
Giovanni Cappa: ...The one who's sick, right? In the head.
Charlie: No, she's got epilepsy.
Giovanni Cappa: Yeah. That's what I said, sick in the head.
Tony DeVienazo: Stay out of my place, I know your face!
Johnny Boy: [Charlie hits him] You two-faced, dirty fucking bastard! Don't you ever hit me again!
[Johnny Boy is pointing his .38 at Michael]
Michael Longo: You don't have the guts to use that.
Johnny Boy: I don't, huh? I don't have the guts? Come here, asshole. Come over here. I'll put this up your ass.
[repeated line]
Charlie: What's the matter with you?
Giovanni Cappa: I learned this from Charley Lucky during the World War II.
Charlie: Oh? What did he do?
Giovanni Cappa: What did he do? He was there, that's what he did.
Charlie: Look... I'll give ya $20 to hold ya for now.
Michael Longo: What, are ya kidding? $20 doesn't pay the interest for 2 hours. Now, with a vig, it's almost $3000.
Charlie: $3000? Shit, you charge a guy from the neighborhood $1800 vig? One day he's late with his payments.
Michael Longo: Whatta ya think I am, his father?
Oscar: Look Charlie, you're a good boy. Will you just tell your uncle that I have nothing. There is nothing to give him. No envelopes with cash inside, no checks, nothing.
Charlie: That bad, huh?
Oscar: I can't make this week's payment and if this keeps up not next week's either.
Charlie: Not next week's either... listen... you tell that to Giovanni, not me.
Oscar: Listen, I should wrap up this place in a ribbon and hand it to him, you know that. I don't need this aggravation. I'm getting old.
Charlie: He'd rather have the loan payed, you know that.