Celebrate Mariska Hargitay's 53rd Birthday With Her Most Inspirational Quotes

Mariska Hargitay plays the beloved character Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU. And while Benson is given plenty of snarky one-liners and pep talk speeches, Hargitay has said her share of inspirational quotes as well. Here are some favorites:

• “I’m living every 10-year-old boy’s fantasy. We are literally playing cops and robbers. How great is that?”

• “Being fearless means busting down those walls of fear and being who you are, not who someone else thinks you are.”

• “To me, the definition of sexy at any age is strength and confidence.”

• “No one can take away your pain so don’t let anyone take away your happiness.”

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

• “In life you have two choices: You can laugh, or you can cry. You have to laugh, you have to.”

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

• “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.”

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