“You can’t be half a gangster,” explained Jimmy Dormady (Michael Pitt) to his mentor, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the central character in HBO’s prohibition-era drama Boardwalk Empire (available to stream anytime on HBO Now). While Nucky’s financial interests were tied to bootlegging, as the Atlantic County Treasurer, he did his best to curate his public image to be that of a respected politician. Though, over the course the show’s run, Nucky came to realize that Jimmy was right, he couldn’t be just half a gangster, and if he wanted to win, he absolutely had to go all in. So, the next time you’re on the fence about something, let these Nucky Thompson lines help you when it’s time to really commit to yourself.
“You wanna be a gangster in my town, then you’ll pay me for the privilege.”
Like any corrupt politician with dollar signs in his eyes, Nucky likes making a profit off of the criminal activity that goes on in his town. And whatever illegal activity that he does allow, he wants it to run smoothly. When it doesn’t, those who are involved can end up paying a steep price for their meddling, as Jimmy’s quick to learn after his truck hijacking goes wrong. Even if you haven’t gone all in just yet, it’s important to know exactly what kind of game is being played, and how you can benefit from it in the meantime.
“We all have to decide for ourselves how much sin we can live with.”
Near the conclusion of the first season, Nucky’s wife, Margaret (Kelly MacDonald), asks her husband how he’s able to do the terrible things he does, even though she sees him as a good man. Nucky, having been drawn deeper into the world of organized crime after an attempt on his life, becomes more aware of what he’ll have to do if he wants to survive. But even as circumstances end up beyond his control, even Nucky knows not to take on more than he can handle — which is a valuable life lesson regardless of your circumstance.
“I keep my promises, James, and I’ll make one now: I will ruin you. All of you.”
Nucky’s well aware of the fact that success breeds enemies, and as a war against his former mentor, the Commodore (Dabney Coleman) starts to come into place, it erupts in a public confrontation at Babette’s restaurant. As Nucky approaches the table where his former protege sits with his former mentor, along with the governor of New Jersey, he lets everyone at the table know that, regardless of what is about to happen, he intends to come out on top. When it comes time to draw a line in the sand, you’ve got to toss all those old sentiments aside and focus.
“No matter what you think of me, there’s no walking away. I do it to them or they do it to me. That’s all there is.”
Badly shaken up after another attempt on his life, this time an explosion courtesy of Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale), Nucky starts suffering from bouts of hearing loss and severe disorientation. Yet, out of his confusion comes Nucky’s most uncharacteristically frank and honest moments. After Margaret takes him into the bathroom to clear his head, he begins to open up about what it takes to do business in his world, and the need to go to war with the man who tried to kill him. It’s a stirring moment where Nucky’s explanation almost comes off as an apology to his wife over what he’s about to embark on. It’s also an excellent reminder that no matter how badly things may be going, it’s important to maintain your focus.
“The rage you feel — listen to me carefully. It’s a gift. Use it. But don’t let anyone see it.”
As Nucky helps his nephew, Willy, get cleared of the charges he’s facing over the unexpected death of his classmate, he’s not only taking care of his family, but teaching Willy how to manipulate the system for his benefit. He teaches Willy what goes into telling a believable lie, as well as how to evade the guilt he might feel over framing his roommate for the crime. One (fairly obvious) way to know that you’ve gone all in is when you start teaching the younger generation how to bend, and break, the rules.
“No one likes to (lose), but sooner or later we all need to learn how.”
When Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), the normally collected kingpin of the Jewish mafia in New York, offers to get to know Nucky over a friendly game of poker, Rothstein sees it as a measure of their very self-worth. As the game goes on, his losing hands cause him to become increasingly unhinged, and Rothstein ends up losing everything to Nucky, including a $200,000 loan he’d literally just borrowed from him. When their mutual business partner, Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef), tries to reason with Nucky, explaining that Rothstein isn’t used to losing, and simply doesn’t know how to act when it happens, Nucky’s response is appropriately unsympathetic, which is what you’d expect coming from a man who’s no stranger to loss himself. Sure, there’s such a thing as being a gracious winner, but if Nucky’s not going to coddle someone for losing, there’s no need for you to, either.
“The trick is to live long enough to cash out.”
With the end of prohibition on the horizon, Nucky spends the last episodes of the show trying to figure out how he’ll be able to transition out of bootlegging once liquor can be bought legally once more. Of course, given the nature of his business, and the nature of his associates, simply staying alive looks to be the biggest challenge for him. Therein lies the consequence of going all in: you’ve got to know how to get out a few moves ahead of when you probably should. If you don’t take the time to figure this out, then the game could end up playing you.
