Great Men Are Not Born Great

This line appears in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather (1969) and is reflected in the film adaptation (1972). It is one of the novel's central themes — that the Corleone family's greatness was not inherited but forged through ambition, hardship, and ruthlessness across generations. Vito embodies the idea: born poor in Sicily, he built an empire in America through cunning and violence.