--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing'…" description: "\"'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia, just as the larger American society is facing the new realities of the 'me generation.'\" — Jos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg" --- # 'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia… ![“'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia, just as the larger American society is facing the new realities of the 'me generation.'” quote by Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg) > “'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia, just as the larger American society is facing the new realities of the 'me generation.'” [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. Personal ambitions can shift group dynamics, mirroring broader societal trends toward individualism. **In simple terms:** Self-interest reshapes groups. Key Takeaway Balance personal goals with group loyalty. Themes individualism group dynamics societal change Mood analytical critical Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - organized crime - corporate teams - social media communities - family gatherings Key Concepts psychology sociology culture Questions to Reflect On - How does personal ambition affect teamwork? - Can groups thrive with strong individualism? A Different Perspective Risk of overlooking collective responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Mafia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mafia/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Mafia is a process,not a thing.Mafia is a form of clan-cooperation to witch it's individual members pledge lifelong loyalty…Frienship,connections,family ties,trust,loyalty,obedience-this was the glue that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bonanno/mafia-is-a-process-not-a-thing-mafia-is-a-form-of-clan-cooperation-to-2/) [Joseph Bonanno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bonanno/) > [Mafia is a process,not a thing. Mafia is a form of clan - cooperation to which it's individual members pledge lifelong loyalty…Friendship, connections, family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bonanno/mafia-is-a-process-not-a-thing-mafia-is-a-form-of-clan-cooperation-to/) [Joseph Bonanno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bonanno/) > [“American society was justly famed in the nineteenth century for the richness of its associational life. Indeed, as we have seen, Alexis de Tocqueville…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/american-society-was-justly-famed-in-the-nineteenth-century-for-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the one that started the decline of the Mafia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/one-thing-i-take-great-pride-in-is-that-my-case-was-the-one-that/) [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/) > [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/) > [“Peter Drucker suggested the transformation into a post-modern world happened between 1937 and 1957 (when he was writing). He described an as yet "nameless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wikipedia/peter-drucker-suggested-the-transformation-into-a-post-modern-world/) [Wikipedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wikipedia/) > [I don't mean to imply that we are in imminent danger of being wiped off the face of the earth - at least, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-claussen/i-don-t-mean-to-imply-that-we-are-in-imminent-danger-of-being-wiped/) [Eileen Claussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-claussen/) > [This is not bad, but the pace of globalisation has surpassed the capacity of the system to adjust to new realities of a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/this-is-not-bad-but-the-pace-of-globalisation-has-surpassed-the/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [“In this business, I find more value in working with hackers who abstract new realities from cast aside code and concepts than academics who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-senior-fellow-institute-for-critical-infrastructure-technology/in-this-business-i-find-more-value-in-working-with-hackers-who/) James Scott, Senior Fellow, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology > [We must also recognize the new realities of modern warfare and the modern landscape of a battlefield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-davis/we-must-also-recognize-the-new-realities-of-modern-warfare-and-the/) [Susan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-davis/) > [Leadership is about creating new realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/leadership-is-about-creating-new-realities/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Realities disguised as symbols are, for me, new realities that are immeasurably preferable. I make an effort to take them at their word. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-cahun/realities-disguised-as-symbols-are-for-me-new-realities-that-are/) [Claude Cahun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-cahun/) ## 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/) > [One thing I take great pride in is that my case was the one that started the decline of the Mafia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/one-thing-i-take-great-pride-in-is-that-my-case-was-the-one-that/) [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/) [Explore all 24 Joseph D. Pistone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [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/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia, just as the larger American society is facing the new realities of the 'me generation.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph D. Pistone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-within-the-mafia-just-as-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-within-the-mafia-just-as-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/joseph-d-pistone-24411_american_our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-withi_2980915.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'Our thing' is turning into 'my thing' within the Mafia, just as the larger American society is facing the…” — Joseph D. Pistone", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joseph D. Pistone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "'Our thing' is turning into 'my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-within-the-mafia-just-as-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/our-thing-is-turning-into-my-thing-within-the-mafia-just-as-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```