--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing I take great pride in is that…" description: "\"One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the one that started the decline of the Mafia.\" — Joseph D. Pistone" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/joseph-d-pistone-24411_case_one-thing-i-take-great-pride-in-is-that_338895.jpg" --- # One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the… ![“One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the one that started the decline of the Mafia.” quote by Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/joseph-d-pistone-24411_case_one-thing-i-take-great-pride-in-is-that_338895.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/joseph-d-pistone-24411_case_one-thing-i-take-great-pride-in-is-that_338895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/joseph-d-pistone-24411_case_one-thing-i-take-great-pride-in-is-that_338895.jpg) > “One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the one that started the decline of the Mafia.” [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exposing wrongdoing can lead to the downfall of powerful criminal organizations. **In simple terms:** Exposing crime can dismantle it. Key Takeaway Stand up against corruption. Themes justice courage law enforcement Mood determined serious Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - investigations - whistleblowing - legal reforms - community safety - null Key Concepts ethics crime studies Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to confront injustice? - How can you protect yourself while fighting crime? A Different Perspective Risk of retaliation and personal danger is high. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/case/) [Case Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/case-started-954787/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Decline Mafia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline-mafia-3154270/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Mafia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mafia/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-decline-445321/) ## Related quotes > [To my way of thinking, the American family started to decline when parents began to communicate with their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/to-my-way-of-thinking-the-american-family-started-to-decline-when/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“Mr Costeja González’s case started four years ago when he realised a Google search of his name threw up a link to a 1998…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mr-costeja-gonzalez-s-case-started-four-years-ago-when-he-realised-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grew up in a city, an Italian, knowing what the Mafia was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-grew-up-in-a-city-an-italian-knowing-what-the-mafia-was/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I was Donnie Brasco, the Mafia guy, in character. But in my head, I was a special agent. I never lost sight of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-was-donnie-brasco-the-mafia-guy-in-character-but-in-my-head-i-was-a/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [Unless you are absolutely positive that your wife has no connection to the Mafia, even three or four times removed, do yourself a favor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/unless-you-are-absolutely-positive-that-your-wife-has-no-connection/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > ['Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia, just as the larger American society is facing the new realities of the 'me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-within-the-mafia-just-as-the/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [Even though it is the case that poverty is linked to AIDS, in the sense that Africa is poor and they have a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/even-though-it-is-the-case-that-poverty-is-linked-to-aids-in-the/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [“I was standing by the car when two police officers showed up in the alley, very interested in me and the BMW in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/i-was-standing-by-the-car-when-two-police-officers-showed-up-in-the/) [Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/) > [I spent much of my prison time reading. I must have read over 200 large books, mostly fictional stories about the American pioneers, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frazier-glenn-miller-jr/i-spent-much-of-my-prison-time-reading-i-must-have-read-over-200/) [Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frazier-glenn-miller-jr/) > [As long as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hill/as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-gangster/) [Henry Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hill/) > [International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/international-affairs-is-very-much-run-like-the-mafia-the-godfather/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“They have secret weapons that break the heart of innocents, elevate stress levels, shoot down to make it look guilt. They can burn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-karvouni/they-have-secret-weapons-that-break-the-heart-of-innocents-elevate/) [Maria Karvouni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-karvouni/) > [Some newspapers in Britain have become closer to these kind of mafia families. They wield an incredible power. They choose our governments, they choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/some-newspapers-in-britain-have-become-closer-to-these-kind-of-mafia/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [If you think about the traditional mafia stories we grew up on, it is always about the death of criminal organisations - things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-watkins/if-you-think-about-the-traditional-mafia-stories-we-grew-up-on-it-is/) [James Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-watkins/) > [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) ## More by Joseph D. Pistone > [Unless you are absolutely positive that your wife has no connection to the Mafia, even three or four times removed, do yourself a favor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/unless-you-are-absolutely-positive-that-your-wife-has-no-connection/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [A good undercover agent stays as close to the truth as possible, as close to your own personality and your own values as possible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/a-good-undercover-agent-stays-as-close-to-the-truth-as-possible-as/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I was Donnie Brasco, the Mafia guy, in character. But in my head, I was a special agent. I never lost sight of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-was-donnie-brasco-the-mafia-guy-in-character-but-in-my-head-i-was-a/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [With wiseguys, you don't know a guy by his name, only by his nickname. You never asked a guy for his last name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/with-wiseguys-you-don-t-know-a-guy-by-his-name-only-by-his-nickname/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > ['Donnie Brasco' was 85 percent on the money. The only thing that they slanted was my feelings for Lefty and Sonny', and this idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/donnie-brasco-was-85-percent-on-the-money-the-only-thing-that-they/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I'm always leery about bumping into somebody. One time I was with my wife in a restaurant, I saw somebody from my undercover days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-m-always-leery-about-bumping-into-somebody-one-time-i-was-with-my/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > ['The Godfather' is a great movie, but it gives them too much credit. What you don't see is what really takes place: the in-fighting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/the-godfather-is-a-great-movie-but-it-gives-them-too-much-credit-what/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I rarely carried a gun undercover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-rarely-carried-a-gun-undercover/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [As a teen-ager I played cards, shot craps, played pool, went to the track, hung around social clubs. I knew that some card and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/as-a-teen-ager-i-played-cards-shot-craps-played-pool-went-to-the/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I knew how wiseguys acted. I knew the mentality. I knew things to do and not to do. Keep your mouth shut at certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-knew-how-wiseguys-acted-i-knew-the-mentality-i-knew-things-to-do/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I didn't try to be a tough guy. I didn't try to be a big mobster. I was who I was. I didn't stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-didn-t-try-to-be-a-tough-guy-i-didn-t-try-to-be-a-big-mobster-i-was/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I left a lot of personal stuff out of 'Donnie Brasco.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-left-a-lot-of-personal-stuff-out-of-donnie-brasco/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [Watching the dailies and then watching the... episodes, it really hits you: 'Damn, I did that?' I must have been crazy to get into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/watching-the-dailies-and-then-watching-the-episodes-it-really-hits/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [When you wear a wire, you're always in danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/when-you-wear-a-wire-you-re-always-in-danger/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [I grew up in a city, an Italian, knowing what the Mafia was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/i-grew-up-in-a-city-an-italian-knowing-what-the-mafia-was/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) [Explore all 24 Joseph D. Pistone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) ## More Case quotes > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [A lot of young guys coming up in this league, they're given the spotlight right away, depending on draft stature or whatever the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desean-jackson/a-lot-of-young-guys-coming-up-in-this-league-they-re-given-the/) [DeSean Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desean-jackson/) > [Apparently, there are all sorts of reasons why your hair might stop growing, including split ends, breakage and overuse of heated styling tools -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/apparently-there-are-all-sorts-of-reasons-why-your-hair-might-stop/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [Just in case you forgot, I'm always here for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-a-bad-bish/just-in-case-you-forgot-i-m-always-here-for-you/) [Im\_a\_bad\_bish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-a-bad-bish/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [In many traditions, hawks are sacred: Apollo's messengers for the Greeks, sun symbols for the ancient Egyptians and, in the case of the Lakota…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/in-many-traditions-hawks-are-sacred-apollo-s-messengers-for-the/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/most-of-black-america-is-in-housing-projects-without-jobs-living-on/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [I was a big Nancy Drew reader. Nancy figures it out. Case closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-was-a-big-nancy-drew-reader-nancy-figures-it-out-case-closed/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [If I don't think something's worth saying, I don't think it's quite there, I'd rather just not say it, to be honest. In that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/if-i-don-t-think-something-s-worth-saying-i-don-t-think-it-s-quite/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I have to give a lot of credit to David Stern to open up the league, but also in my case, Jerry West and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-have-to-give-a-lot-of-credit-to-david-stern-to-open-up-the-league/) [Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/) > [My mother tongue is Punjabi, but my first language is Urdu, which was the case with the people in undivided Punjab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gulzar/my-mother-tongue-is-punjabi-but-my-first-language-is-urdu-which-was/) [Gulzar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gulzar/) [Browse all 1,378 Case quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/case/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the one that started the decline of the Mafia.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph D. 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