The Sopranos: 10 Best Sal Quotes

Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero certainly left a big impression during his limited time on The Sopranos. In a series full of tough-as-nails, trigger-happy gangsters, Sal stands out for his good-natured personality and warm demeanor, and his desperation for Tony's approval makes him one of The Sopranos' most sympathetic criminal characters.

Sadly, as an FBI informant, Sal has a massive target painted on his back, and it's only a matter of time before Tony and his inner mafia circle discover the truth. Eventually, Sal's story ends the same way it ends for all mob traitors: he gets discovered and faces a mini firing squad comprised of Tony, Silvio, and Paulie. Though not discussed nearly as much as The Sopranos' divisive series finale, Sal's death stands out for being the show's first emotionally brutal killing.

Despite his early-series demise, Sal remains an iconic Sopranos'​​​​​​history thanks to the wonderful performance of the late Vincent Pastore. Whether he's frantically looking for a way to explain himself when something doesn't add up or simply throwing shade at someone, Sal's words always impress, as he delivered some of the best quotes in the entire show.

"Luca Brasi. Luca..."

Season 1, Episode 1

Christopher becomes the first person to kill on the show when he whacks Emil in The Sopranos pilot. After disposing of the body, he butchers one of Clemenza's best quotes from The Godfather: "Louis Brasi sleeps with the fishes." Sal immediately corrects his young accomplice with the correct name.

The moment is a great introduction to Sal's character, as, despite the serious business of disposing of a body, he cannot let a mangled reference to The Godfather go unchecked. The iconic Francis Ford Coppola movie has a major influence on The Sopranos as a whole, and it starts as early as the first episode.

"I Got A List Of People As Long As My Arm I Wouldn't Want Cloned."

Season 1, Episode 2

Sal and Tony once find themselves discussing cloning, with Tony claiming that only God has the right to create. Sal is against the idea too, but his reasons are different.

It's unclear who exactly is on Sal's list of unclonables, but it's a safe bet that Furio is on top. Another would be Skip Lari since the FBI agent keeps pressing him for information, making him miserable in the process.

"Moe Greene Special."

Season 1, Episode 4

Acting without authorization from above is always a mistake in the mob. As a warning to others, Brendan Filone gets whacked in a bathtub by getting shot in the head for hijacking a truck without getting approval first. Christopher tells Sal about it, and the experienced mobster goes on to refer to the murder as a "Moe Greene special."

It's yet another brilliant reference taken out of The Godfather. The words point to how Las Vegas businessman and Murder Inc. executioner Moe Greene was murdered in the movie by getting shot in the head. Again, Sal takes The Godfather so seriously, he's speaking as if Moe Greene is a real person.

"Well, Remind Me, Tony, Never To Get Sick Again, Huh?"

Season 2, Episode 1

Paulie's impromptu wire searches spook Sal, who decides to go into hiding for a while. When he comes back, he lies to Tony that he was seeing an acupuncturist in Puerto Rico for his back problem. Tony doesn't buy that story at first, but after Paulie investigates and reports back that Sal's alibi checks out, Tony temporarily backs off.

Acting all innocent when he is in fact guilty of being a turncoat is why Sal is one of the best FBI informants in The Sopranos. Tony has every right not to believe him because there have been too many rumors going around about his secret activities. The street soldier gets a pass on this occasion, but Tony still demonstrates caution by investigating further and eventually uncovering the truth.

"How You Doing, Foodio?"

Season 2, Episode 5

Furio starts working part-time at the Vesuvio when Tony brings him to America from Italy. As he is being introduced to Sal and Paulie, the former refers to him as "foodio" instead of "Furio."

It's a shady burn, meant to imply that Furio is busy making meals for customers while serious gangsters are out there committing crimes for money. Sal isn't so fond of Furio because the enforcer has been granted the same rank as him despite being a new member of the DiMeo crime family. Unfortunately for Sal, his efforts to anger Furio prove pointless since, as ruthless as the enforcer is, he doesn't have a temper.

"I Wasn't Gonna."

Season 2, Episode 5

Johnny Sack, the underboss of the Lupertazzi crime family, tells Sal not to stand in order to greet him when he finds him having dinner with Paulie at the Vesuvio. In the same scene where he insulted Furio, Sal, bitter about his recent demotion, retorts by claiming he wasn't gonna stand anyway.

Standing before treating a high-ranking member is considered a sign of respect in organized crime. It's for this reason that Sack assumes Sal was going to stand. New York and New Jersey mobsters haven't always been on good terms, so respect often doesn't cut across the two cities. Though Sal meant to come across as tough and flippant, he just ended up looking worse.

"You Want A Fanta? Somethin' Like That?"

Season 2, Episode 9

Up-and-coming gangster Matthew Bevilaqua is tortured after attempting to kill Christopher to appease Richie Aprile. Sal and Tony then show up to kill Matthew, and he's so shaken he wets himself. However, when Tony seems open to listening to what he has to say, Matthew relaxes slightly and says he's thirsty.

Tony and Sal play along, with Sal even pretending to cater to Matthew by asking him if he'd like a Fanta. After Matthew chugs his drink — which was actually a Diet Coke — Tony shoots him dead. It's a typically violent Sopranos execution peppered with a bit of Sal's signature dark humor.

"We Have Ways Of Dealing With You, Mr. Soprano!"

Season 2, Episode 11

In one of their heists, Paulie, Sal, and Silvio get their hands on a cache of weapons from World War II. They are all very excited, with Sal reminding Tony that they always know how to please him.

Sal often tries hard to win Tony's approval to conceal his secret life as an informant. On this occasion, Sal tries to make the mob boss see that he is very useful. Advanced guns are guaranteed to impress any don since wars usually emerge at any moment, but Tony has never rated Sal highly and that's the reason he never promotes him to capo.

"Searchlight Diner. 5:15 AM. Subject Has Still Not Left Location. Sun Comin' Up."

Season 2, Episode 12

Sal gets carried away when Skip Lari, one of the best law enforcement officers in The Sopranos, tasks him with monitoring Christopher. Much to Skip's amusement, Sal starts communicating in the same manner that FBI agents do.

The best thing about Sal's dialogue while chasing after Christopher is that he isn't joking; he seriously believes that he is part of the FBI, yet he is just an informant. It's definitely one of the funniest moments of the show, and it gets even better when Sal almost injures himself. It's but one of the mobster's many delusional moments in the last days before his secret gets revealed.

"Not In The Face, Okay?

Season 2, Episode 13

When Tony finally confirms that Sal is indeed an FBI informant, he, Paulie, and Silvio take him on a boat trip where they inform him that they know about his secret life. Knowing what's coming, Sal doesn't beg or cry; he simply asks not to be shot in the face.

The punishment for betrayal in the Cosa Nostra is always death. There's never a way around it, and that's why Sal doesn't try to beg for his life. Up until this point in the show, The Sopranos had been depicting a somewhat glamorized portrayal of mafia life, but things officially got real with Sal's incredibly heartbreaking, human plea.