Top 102 Quotes & Sayings by Mariska Hargitay

Yes. I did more research than I ever wanted to and saw some things I wish I didn't. I went on ride-alongs, spent time with Homicide, Cold Case, and SVU detectives, hung out in subways learning how to spot pervs and pick-pockets, viewed an autopsy, went to a police firing range, and witnessed court cases and I read, read, read.

I have so much love that I didn't even know about.

I have a more developed sense of my priorities. Life has so much more meaning now.

It's very difficult leaving the house anytime with my baby at home.

Life begins at 40, and I'm living proof.

I have a nest egg, and I don't buy above my means.

I was lucky enough to have a father who said, 'Don't quit.' So I just kept going.

Surviving and thriving in the wake of my mother's loss, I learned to believe in God. He has a plan, if you pay attention to the signs. I am inspired by the absolute proof of miracles.

I think one of the mistakes actors make is we're so focused on what we're going to say.

Golf made me feel like a loser. So I dismissed it.

Italian culture is so deeply soaked in an appreciation of the good things in life.

Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good.

I definitely have my days where I look like I got dressed in the dark.

I want to be a fun mom. Not a gasping for air mom.

When I was pregnant, I was so huge and people on the bus would get up for me. That made me feel so precious and valued and valuable. I try to treat everyone like they're pregnant.

There's the occasional script that just hammers you, that you can't shower off.

I look at all the things life has allowed me to do, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Having a child changes everything. All of a sudden you have so much to lose, so much to live for.

I realize that you have to show up for your life.

When I read the script sometimes, it's like 'Christ! Enough!' I can't sleep at night sometimes. There's the occasional script that just hammers you, that you can't shower off.

When we're on the street and someone drops something, I pick it up.

Every day is deeper and richer and more soulful.

You've got to kick fear to the side, because the payoff is huge.

I think because I became a mom later in life, everything in life means more.

I am grateful that I didn't let fear get the best of me. It only holds you back from possibilities and greatness.

It's a life's journey of finding ourselves, finding our power, and living for yourself, not for everyone else.

I'm an L.A. girl who became a tough New York cop.

I get very excited about my double stroller. Every time I look at it, I get a shot of adrenaline and joy because I think, This is real!

I have everything I need. Our house is very joyful.

As an actress, there were so many months, years even, when I didn't get work, when I wanted to quit.

Of course everyone says they hate baby talk, but mine was not annoying.

Becoming a parent erased many of my negative childhood feelings and filled them in with something new.

My heart just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I am proud to be a role model for my viewers. I am finding out that helping victims is as or more rewarding the all the awards I win.

I'm a ready-shoot-aim kind of gal.

I think people were expecting me to be that kind of glamorous sexpot. So they were always, Wow you're not what I expected.

If you stop for one second and do something, everyone is happy. You pay it forward and it comes back to you twelve-fold.

It's a new skill to have two children that want you at the same time.

Everything has combined to make my life in New York an amazing experience. I told my manager a few years ago that I wanted to move here and try acting in the theater.

I say to everybody, 'Adoption is not for the faint of heart.'

When you see a girl like me bustin' perps, there ain't no time to be pretty.

Sometimes things in life happen that allow us to understand our priorities very clearly. Ultimately you can see those as gifts.

If I eat clean, I look 10 years younger.

When my body is strong, I feel stronger inside. I feel more capable of handling emotional situations. Usually I'm more of a inside-out person, but this was a great case of me from the outside in.

You know how you wake up in the morning and sometimes you look gorgeous and other times you look like you got hit by a mack truck? I realized that my mack truck is food. If I have no sugar, yeast or wine, I have no undereye bags and my skin is perfect.

The experience of being cared for is profound, and it nourishes the soul as much as the food does the body.

When I was in my early 20s, I had my hair permed. Bad idea! It turned into total frizz. My advice to women is, if you have nice hair already, don't get a perm, leave your hair alone!

Just smiling at someone walking down the street can make the person's day. It's all about paying it forward.

My weekends are extremely precious.

Meisner technique was different than anything I'd ever experienced. It's a really great way to be accountable to your craft and to yourself, but also it takes that kind of focus and dedication to learn anything.

You make sacrifices to become a mother, but you really find yourself and your soul.

Your body is not who you are. I don't think women should label themselves based on the way they look. What about defining yourself by a different kind of measurement? What about your heart, your soul, your compassion, your generosity, your strength and your power? There are so many other things to focus on besides your waistline.

No one can take away your pain, so don't let anyone take away your happiness.

I don't have to be an expert. I just have to care.

Being fearless means busting down those walls of fear and being who you are, not who someone else thinks you are. People like to put others in a box and tell them what they can and cannot do or who they can and cannot be. No one can tell you who you are and what you are made of, only you yourself know what you are made of, and only you yourself can do the work to become who you want to be.

People who overcome their fears every day, without fanfare, without recognition. Quiet, everyday courage, that’s what I admire most.

Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.

If I can play a little part in the world's healing, and making it a better place than when I came, then I just thank God for that chance.

Sexual assault and domestic violence are difficult things to talk about. Talk about them anyway.

No one can tell you who you are and what you are made of, only you yourself know what you are made of, and only you yourself can do the work to become who you want to be.