My heroes in real life are definitely my mom for being true to herself, for having a foot in both worlds, for being so very polite - Canadian and also such a traditional Greek woman. I would sum it up this way: the life lesson she would say is be polite while you're breaking the rules.

Nia Vardalos

Mom Life You

I do recommend it for all girls, and boys, out there: put on a pair of fishnet stockings and find your inner sexiness!

Nia Vardalos

Men Your You

In many ways we are all sons and daughters of ancient Greece.

Nia Vardalos

Ways Way T

You only get one life so you might as well make it a happy one, and that's why I tend to just jump into things. I'm sort of a fearless idiot that way.

Nia Vardalos

Life Fear You

My New Year's Resolution List usually starts with the desire to lose between ten and three thousand pounds.

Nia Vardalos

New Year's Art Year

There's this constant guilt that comes with parenting. You always feel like you're never enough. If you're confident in your parenting, you probably suck at it.

Nia Vardalos

Parenting Your You

Absolutely, I don't believe in rules. As I tell my daughter when she is mischievous, 'Well-behaved women rarely make history.'

Nia Vardalos

Women Men History

My blood sugar went out of control. Diabetes runs in my family, so I went to see my doctor. He was like, 'Buck up,' and it was sort of the wake-up call that I needed to hear.

Nia Vardalos

Family Wake-Up Call Wake

I couldn't get an acting job to save my life when I moved to L.A.

Nia Vardalos

Life Tin T

America was founded on immigrants. The immigrant experience is common to all of us.

Nia Vardalos

Experience Us UN

I thought I was attractive when I shot 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' Studio executives and movie reviewers let me know I had a confidence in my looks that was not shared by them. In other words, they labeled me with words like overweight, unattractive, unappealing.

Nia Vardalos

Wedding Words Word

I'd been raised by my parents who taught me not to think you're better than you are.

Nia Vardalos

You Who Think

Women are so many things. We're sisters, mothers, wives. There are so many things we encompass.

Nia Vardalos

Women Men Women Are

Because I am a character actor, I thought I would be the fourth or eighth banana on a sitcom, and that would be OK.

Nia Vardalos

Would Use Us

I don't like it if I act anything other than the humble Winnipegger I was raised to be.

Nia Vardalos

Win Thing Thin

Don't settle; don't compromise. Freeze your eggs, get your sociology doctorate, worry more about war and pestilence and the incredible inequality of geographical birth than finding your soulmate.

Nia Vardalos

War Equality Your

My mum came to the set of my second movie 'Connie and Carla,' and she had made food for the whole cast, including mini bun cakes with little flowers sticking out of each one.

Nia Vardalos

Food Car Wit

Socially, the issue of men's weight is simply not a big deal.

Nia Vardalos

Men Weight Weigh

On the publicity tour of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' I was asked over and over again, if, as the writer, I felt it was a fair depiction of real life to have someone of my er, below average looks, hook up with hottie John Corbett.

Nia Vardalos

Wedding Life Age

My heroes in real life are definitely my mom for being true to herself, for having a foot in both worlds, for being so very polite - Canadian and also such a traditional Greek woman. I would sum it up this way: the life lesson she would say is be polite while you're breaking the rules.

Nia Vardalos

Mom Life You

And (cue music swell) motherhood turned out to be the most meaningful thing I've ever done with my life. Really.

Nia Vardalos

Music Life Wit

I do get approached every day by people who say, 'Why don't you make more movies?' I don't really miss it when I get to go and watch my daughter in the Christmas pageant.

Nia Vardalos

It wasn't easy to adopt an American child. Actually it's quite simple, but finding out how to do it was the hard part.

Nia Vardalos

The media was always so focused on the money a movie makes. But I was in Times Square, and a bunch of Japanese tourists looked at me and started shouting, 'Toula!' I loved it. It's these tiny moments of connection that register with me the most and always have.

Nia Vardalos

I have had the same person show up in a few cities with flowers. A lovely gentleman who gave me a picture of himself. I came home, gave it to Ian, and said, 'If I go missing, here's the guy.'

Nia Vardalos

Ever since I became a parent, time moves far too quickly. My vision always feels like I'm wearing giant kaleidoscope-goggles.

Nia Vardalos

I consider myself a fearless idiot.

Nia Vardalos

I have no idea how to use social media for anything other than forwarding a good fart joke.

Nia Vardalos

I'm not one of those people that can suddenly start running and hire a Pilates trainer; it's just not my thing.

Nia Vardalos

It's not like suddenly, when you become a working actor all your friends are in the same situation. I have friends who are still handing out flyers for their one-woman show and trying to make ends meet.

Nia Vardalos

You're not ethnic enough. You're not fat enough. You're not thin enough. You're not blond enough. You're not dark enough. You're not young enough. You're not old enough.

Nia Vardalos

The popular girls let me hang out with them because I was funny. They told me that. 'You're not popular, but you're funny.' Now all my friends are funny.

Nia Vardalos

You're never too fat for a new purse.

Nia Vardalos

We were so unprepared that when my husband took off to get groceries, and we'd adopted a 3-year-old, he came back with baby formula, a steak and a teething ring. We had no idea what we were doing. But you learn. There's no way to fully prepare. Just eyes wide open - jump.

Nia Vardalos

I feel that the industry can be sliced into two categories - grateful actors and non-grateful actors. I'm always so appreciative that this has happened for me - and against all odds - as a middle child from Canada. I'm very grateful.

Nia Vardalos

When I used to do musical theatre, my dad refused to come backstage. He never wanted to see the props up close or the sets up close. He didn't want to see the magic.

Nia Vardalos

It's impossible for success to go to your head with a Greek mom - no way.

Nia Vardalos

Let's face it: Russell Crowe is fat and no one ever talks about it.

Nia Vardalos

Our daughter was not damaged or hurt in any way. She was simply relinquished to foster care by two people who were not ready to be parents. I admire them for giving her the chance for a better life. And I am grateful they gave my husband and me the opportunity to be parents.

Nia Vardalos

I have found that every family has a strange remedy for any situation - from 'Use Fantastic to get the scuff off your patent leather shoes!' to 'Soak an aspirin in a glass of water to get rid of a migraine.'

Nia Vardalos

Socially, the issue of men's weight is simply not a big deal. Let's face it: Russell Crowe is fat, and no one ever talks about it. Alec Baldwin just orders his suits a size bigger, and we continue to swoon.

Nia Vardalos

The candid and honest and pure heartedness of children has strengthened my views that we are all equal and should be afforded the basic human rights that we all deserve.

Nia Vardalos

When I write something, I constantly rewrite.

Nia Vardalos

The white hot publicity that came from 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' was appreciated but not sought, so I was happy to walk away from it and then write.

Nia Vardalos

I was a very studious student and usually got A's. I did not like school, because I wasn't popular - I was a nerd.

Nia Vardalos

I don't work that much because I am selective.

Nia Vardalos

What I wish I had, is that I wish I was a little more Greek, in that I wish I could lose my North American driven attitude and that I could be a little bit more poetic and laissez faire.

Nia Vardalos

I don't card out my screenplays ever. I just have an idea I just sit down and write I don't edit.

Nia Vardalos

I think our skin clears up and we're nicer when you are in love.

Nia Vardalos

I thought I was attractive when I shot 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' Studio executives and movie reviewers let me know I had a confidence in my looks that was not shared by them.

Nia Vardalos

My daughter is a preschooler but I have only known her for a while. She is adopted.

Nia Vardalos