Mario Puzo (1920-1999) was born in New York, a first-generation Italian-American. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army and fought in Europe. After the war, he entered Columbia University to study sociology. In 1963, he became a freelance writer and began writing novels about the Sicilian Mafia. The publication of "The Godfather" in 1969 established his position in the literary world. His other works, such as "The Sicilian" and "Refuse to Witness," have also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. "Family" was his final work.

Introduction

Mike is a member of the Corleone family and is a 'good college student'. His father is a gangster, but because he refuses to cooperate with other gangs in selling drugs, Narrowly escaped assassination. During the negotiations, he killed five gang representatives and a police chief, and hid in Italy to avoid the limelight. Mike's eldest brother was killed. After returning home, Mike became the new leader of the Mafia.

Classic quotes

1. Let your friends underestimate your strengths and your enemies overestimate your weaknesses.

2. Don’t hate your enemies, it will affect your judgment.

3. People who can see the essence of something in one second and people who spend half a lifetime unable to see the essence of something clearly have different fates.

4. It took me a lifetime to learn to be careful. Women and children can be careless, but men cannot.

5. Don’t speak out your ideals easily and don’t give others the chance to laugh at you.

6. The best threat is to take no action. Once action is taken but has no effect, people are no longer afraid of threats.

7. Don’t say it’s impossible, nothing is impossible.

8. Great people are not born great, but show their greatness in the process of growth.

9. Stay close to your friends, but stay closer to your enemies so you can understand them better.

10. People who regard accidents as an insult to their dignity will never suffer accidents again.

11. Those who cannot control power will be destroyed by power.

12. When you say no, make it sound as good as no.

13. There is no such thing as innocence in this world. If you can honestly say that you have never lied, you are deceiving yourself.

15. Don’t let others know what you think!

16. Don’t let women influence your thinking.

17. If a person is generous, he must show his generosity with emotion.

18. If you think I don’t know the truth, you’re insulting my intelligence.

19. Pain is not as irreversible as death.

20. I believe in friendship and am willing to express my friendship first.

21. Any "meaning" between men and women often starts with "I'm sorry" and ends with "it's really boring."

22. I am going to make him an offer that he cannot refuse.

23. There are often sudden insults in society, which must be endured.

24. In this world, it often happens that the most insignificant person, if he always pays attention, will always have the opportunity to take revenge on those arrogant people.

25. Friendship is everything. Friendship is more important than talent, more important than government, and is almost synonymous with family. Never forget this.

26. Never get angry! Never threaten, always be reasonable.

27. If history has taught us anything, if life has taught us anything, it is that we can kill anyone.

28. Politics and crime are the same thing - finance is the gun and politics is when the trigger is pulled.

29. Forgive and forget. Life is inherently full of misfortune.

30. A man who doesn’t know how to spend time with his family is not a real man.

31. It took me a lifetime to learn two words: be careful.

32. If you can control a country's economy, then you don't care who makes the laws.

33. Some things must be done, just do them and never talk about them. Don't judge whether what you are doing is reasonable. They can't judge. Just do what you do, and forget it after you're done.

34. Pain and fear are not death, there is room for redemption.

35. "Never forget this: don't be a hero while you are alive, just live. As time goes by, heroes seem a bit stupid."

36. I use my Everything the Force did, including some sins, was just to protect my family and my friends.

37. Revenge is best eaten cold.

38. Like many talented businessmen, he knows that free competition is wasteful and monopoly is efficient. Therefore, his goal is to pursue this effective monopoly.

39. I will never force friendship on someone who doesn’t need it – someone who thinks I’m insignificant.

40. The humblest person, as long as he keeps his eyes open, will sooner or later seize the opportunity to take revenge on the most powerful person.