Sarah Shahi quotes:

You know, I never really paid attention to sports, which, coming from the mecca of football in Texas, is kind of odd. I played sports, but I was nerdy. Having a single mother, the pressure was on me to get good grades and a scholarship and go to college.

I had a home birth because I really believe in the body's natural ability to give birth. The medical profession has kind of warped women's minds into thinking we don't know how to birth and we need doctors and epidurals and Pitocin.

As a parent, you experience the most of everything. The most love, the most fear, the most hurt and the most tired, the most of every emotion.

I really got into 'The Walking Dead.' That was genius. And I have to say, my husband is on 'Shameless,' and I think it's a brilliant show.

Right when I finish a workout, I feel pretty sexy. Even though I'm sweaty and I don't smell like a rose, I feel strong. It does a lot for me mentally and physically.

I never really paid attention to sports, which, coming from the mecca of football in Texas, is kind of odd. I played sports, but I was nerdy. Having a single mother, the pressure was on me to get good grades and a scholarship and go to college.

To be beautiful in Texas, you had to be blonde and blue-eyed and have a name like Ann.

I never thought I would be one of those wacky chicks who say, 'I loved my labor,' but I loved every part of it. It was the best day of my life.

I like a man who can come out and say he's nervous on the first date. I think that would be really cute.

My views on equality are pretty obvious. I mean, I did play a highly complex lesbian techno DJ on TV, but I know it's not always easy to come out and tell the world where you stand.

I can take a newspaper and make it a lethal weapon.

I saw Madeleine Stowe from Revenge recently, and she totally blew me away. And growing up I loved Morticia Addams and Lily Munster on one hand, and Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie on the other. Two completely different ends of the spectrum, kind of like me.

The goal as an actor is to constantly surround yourself with amazing artists who challenge you and make you grow.

I know it sounds weird, but my definition of 'sexy' has changed as I've gotten older. And being smart and informed makes me feel sexier than any outfit.

My great-great-grandfather was a shah back in the 1800s. Unfortunately, I don't have any gold coins or jewels to show for it.

NFL cheerleading is harder than most people think. They train up to six hours every day with games on Sundays. They gave me a great work ethic.

Once, I started cheering for the wrong team. I was hot, and I heard 'Touchdown!' and I started doing high kicks, and I looked around and nobody else was cheering.

I came from a single parent household. And I had a bad example of what a husband and father could be and how irresponsible a father could be. So because of that, I didn't want to get married or have kids.

The most important mark I will leave on this world is my son.

I did a lot of theater growing up, and in college I was in the musical 'Chicago.'

I have an incredibly dark, mysterious, witchy side and another side that's very bubbly and cheerleader-esque.

I'm a girl in boy's clothing. I like to get a little rough. I prefer mud to makeup. That's me in a nutshell.

My father left when I was really young, but he's still living. There are things I wish I'd said that I didn't and I don't think I'll ever get the opportunity to say. He's battled addiction problems his entire life. I wish things were different. I wish there were a way my son could know him, know the good parts of him.

I was captain of the volleyball team and the basketball team, and I ran track.

I love guns. I love shooting guns.

I don't really like 'acting' - I like things to feel as natural as possible.

I'm attracted to playing characters that have flaws.

Honestly, as an actor, all I need to know, the way I kind of look at a scene, is like a puzzle. There are certain puzzle pieces that are bigger than others, and all I need to know is if this is going to fit here to make this part of the puzzle work.

It is therapeutic for me to act, to be able to slip into somebody else's skin, and know it's not you, but know that you bring a lot of yourself to it. At times in my life it's provided me with a lot of confusion. It's also provided me with a lot of discovery.

My biggest fantasy was to have a pie thrown in my face, and I always said whoever did that, that's the guy I'd marry.

You can get a man's attention if you got a pair of boobs and a butt. I hate to simplify them down so much, but I think it's true.

Growing up, I loved Morticia Addams and Lily Munster on one hand, and Jeannie from 'I Dream of Jeannie' on the other. Two completely different ends of the spectrum, kind of like me.

I feel that as the world becomes more and more multicultural, it's a good tool to be able to speak another language.

Michael Emerson is just a prince. There's something about him. He's so sweet. I don't know how to describe it. There's something about him that's a bit royal.

My role is to just tell the highest degree of truth with every character and every story. From there, I have no clue whatsoever how things are going to turn out.

Just because we are women doesn't mean the only roles we can play are that of the finger-shaking girlfriend.

I've learned a lot with every character, everything from being a cop, to a lawyer to a tattoo artist. And underneath that stuff, I've been really able to find myself through the characters. It's served as a cheap form of emotional therapy.

I hate girls who complain, 'Oh, guys are looking at me!' But I love it when guys check me out. It just feels great.

It doesn't matter what people say or what the rules say or what you're supposed to do, you go after what's in your heart.

Cheerleading was my way in. It was one of the most rigorous audition processes ever. It definitely groomed me for Hollywood.

I actually got more attention from one episode of 'The Sopranos' than I did from two years of 'The L Word.'

I think it's important to love what you do and have a good time with it. I go to work every day and have a blast.

I'm a tomboy myself and have always been incredibly athletic.

I'm a wife and a mother. I don't want to be immature; I have to be ready at all times.

I'm not one to be messed with. I can be bad when it needs to happen.

I'm used to a lot of love scenes. I'm used to something that requires me to kick up my heels and wink-wink, flirt-flirt with a twirl of my skirt.

It's fun to work on location because you get the look and feel of everything, but it's nice to be on a stage because you can control the elements.

So my views on equality are pretty obvious. I mean I did play a highly complex lesbian techno DJ on TV, but I know it's not always easy to come out and tell the world where you stand,

When I finish a workout I feel pretty sexy even though I'm sweaty and I don't smell like a rose. I feel stong. It does a lot for me mentally and physically.