Even if you think like you know it all, there’s always another life lesson that’s out there that will send you back to school. Be it through actual experiences, books, or movies – there is always something new to learn. The Godfather is an example of how much a person can develop through strict gangster morals and life lessons for the better.
Life lessons from The Godfather are bound to help you understand yourself and others to the degree that both parties can benefit solidly. Take a look at these life lessons from the Godfather that we have collected for you that it may unleash the gangster within you.
Related: Much like the life lessons from The Godfather, there’s a lot we can learn from The Joker to make our seemingly normal lives better. Here are Life Lessons From The Joker: What We Can Learn From The Clown Prince of Crime.
Here are 10 Life Lessons From The Godfather To Unleash The Gangster Within You :
1. Keep Your Word.
“The most attractive thing a man can do is exactly what he says he’s going to do”.
A man of his word is much more valued and respected than a man who is not. If you stand on your own word people have good reason to trust you. By keeping you word, you are letting others know that you respect and will go according to your own word no matter what. This is a very solid life lesson from the Godfather that teaches us not to make false promises and never to go back against our word, not for the sake of others but for our own dignity.
2. Offer Your Friendship And Respect In Return For A Request.
“Now you come to me, and you say: ‘Don Corleone, give me justice.’ But you don’t ask with respect. You don’t offer friendship. You don’t even think to call me Godfather. Instead, you come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married, and you ask me to do murder for money.” — Don Vito Corleone.
You hate to see it – people taking other people for granted. Even though they manage to slide their way out of the situation, you can never look at them the way you did before. It’s true – you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Show some form of appreciation and gratitude to those who do you favors and I assure you they’ll be willing to do it a second time.
3. Never Go Against Your Family.
“Fredo you’re my older brother, and I love you. But don’t you ever go against the family again. Ever.” — Michael Corleone.
Blood is thicker than water. Never let your family down for your own self-interests, unless you’re wiling to suffer the consequences of not being trusted and of alienation. No matter how much you may hate your family, know that they raised you to become to the man you are today. You can never give them enough credit, so cherish them and respect them while they’re still around.
4. Never Act On Emotion.
“Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.” — Michael Corleone.
Emotions are something that we deal with on a daily basis. Depending on the series of events that happen in our day, some people have to deal with more emotions than others. Some people know how to deal with their emotions better than others. Those who are emotionally intelligent have better chances at handling situations where emotions need to be involved. Others that act on their emotions in an instant tend to hurt themselves and others in the process of expressing their emotions. This is a crucial life lesson from the Godfather that can be applied in every social situation where emotions need to be expressed and not explode out of you.
5. Don’t Stick Your Nose Around In Peoples’ Business.
“Sonny, don’t get involved.” — Carmela Corleone.
Curiosity killed the cat didn’t it? Don’t go scuttling and breaking people’s boundaries, trying to involve yourself in their personal lives. It does not end well, trust me. Everybody needs to learn to recognize and respect the boundaries of other people. We all need our own space to function properly and to live our lives on our own terms. Gossiping and talking shit about people that you don’t really like is a big no-no. Learn how to respect another person’s privacy and they’ll respect you enough to respect yours. This life lesson from the Godfather clearly portrays the importance of knowing your boundaries and limits and using them to prevent other people from violating your privacy.
6. Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies Closer.
“My father taught me many things here. He taught me in this room. He taught me ‘Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.” – Michael Corleone.
Keep tabs on your competitors, you never know when their next move could leave you biting the dust. Know of all that’s going on between your competitors and to know when to make the first counter attack. Your friends will be there for you, close enough to back you up and well-versed with the moves of your enemies to know what to expect. Keep your enemies close enough to be easily accessed and dissected too. You must take advantage of the different opportunities that come at you to pace farther and faster than your enemies.
7. Build Relationships Out Of Respect, Business And Trust.
“Friendship is everything. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.” — Don Vito Corleone.
Never take your connections for granted. You never know when one of your friends could help you out in your hard times. Friends may not always be there for you in the physical form, but they are capable of lightening your burden by providing you support and feeding you good advice. Build a strong connection of friends that can lean on you and that you can lean on. Earn their respect, trust and create a healthy environment when you’re around them – an unforgettable life lesson from the Godfather.
8. The Most Powerful Criminals Are The White-Collar Criminals.
“The lawyer with the briefcase can steal more money than the man with the gun.” — Mario Puzo
The modern society is a tough phenomena to deal with on a daily basis. We have our highly glorified government authorities while we also have our unrecognizable criminals, criminals that lay low and get paid in bags of cash. Yes, I’m talking about white-collar criminals. The execution of crimes by such criminals are almost untraceable and very skillfully done. Doesn’t sound much like that thief from around the block does it? The best part is that these white-collar criminals take a deadlier risk, but they get paid more. In life, taking risks may leave you either down in the dumps or up their to the unrecognizable level of notoriety.
9. Build A Powerful And Strong Connection.
“Someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me.” — Don Vito Corleone.
Do to others as you’d have them do to you. If you want to be helped, help. If you want to be respected, show respect. If you want to be loved, give love. It isn’t rocket science. Learn to reciprocate at the right time with the right course of action. You have the capability to build a community of your own through the connections you make with people that you come across everyday. A soft smile or a subtle gesture of respect could go a long way in building a relationship that lasts.
10. Everything Is Personal.
“Tom, don’t let anybody kid you. It’s all personal, every bit of business. Every piece of shit every man has to eat every day of his life is personal. They call it business. OK. But it’s personal as hell. You know where I learned that from? The Don.” — Mario Puzo.
At the end of the day, it’s every man for himself. If it’s every man for himself, then anything and everything can be taken personal. You’re on your own when it all comes down, are you going to be there for you? Are you going to be willing to stand up for yourself? Are you going to be willing to fight for your rights? Everything is personal. Act like it.
These Life Lessons From The Godfather contain gems that are bound to prove fruitful for many generations to come. The authenticity of the lessons you’ve learnt from this article goes to show how classic of a novel/movie this masterpiece is. I hope you are willing to level up with these life lessons from the Godfather in mind. Be gangster – Stay gangster.
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