‘Law & Order: SVU’: The 20 Best Lines From Benson, Stabler & More
Being on-air for 25 years, you’re bound to produce some memorable lines. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been delivering cathartic and entertaining stories since 1999.
From the iconic opening title sequence and the famous “dun dun” at the end to classics like, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you to smell the defendant” and current heavy-hitters, here are some of our favorite quotes from Law & Order: SVU over the last 25 years.
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s Law & Order: SVU 25th Anniversary issue. For more inside scoop on the long-running NBC franchise, pick up a copy of the issue available on newsstands and for order online at LawAndOrderMagazine.com.
Narrator
“In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.” —The Narrator
Det. Olivia Benson (Season 1, Episode 6)
“It’s ‘Detective,’ not ‘Miss.’ Save your lawyering for somebody who gives a damn.”
Capt. Donald Cragen (Season 2, Episode 12)
“All right, last time I looked, this was the Special Victims Unit, not the sex police.”
Det. John Munch (Season 9, Episode 17)
“If you don’t question authority, you lose your humanity.”
Det. Elliot Stabler (Season 1, Episode 10)
“The unconscious doesn’t lie.”
Munch (Season 1, Episode 22)
“Does dealing with sexual deviants every day affect me? The answer is no. Just ask my blow-up doll.”
Det. Amanda Rollins (Season 18, Episode 18)
“Look deep into my eyes. You’re under arrest.” [to a hypnotist perp]
ADA Rafael Barba (Season 18, Episode 10)
“We’re not interested in your psychobabble for the moment, but thank you so much for sharing.”
Stabler (Season 1, Episode 1)
“I think sex should be one of the best parts of life, not the worst.” [on why he joined the SVU]
Benson (Season 22, Episode 9)
“You were the most, single most, important person in my life, and you just disappeared.” [to Stabler]
Stabler (Season 22, Episode 9)
“I was afraid if I heard your voice, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.” [to Benson]
Stabler (Season 3, Episode 6)
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Medical Examiner Melinda Warner (Season 9 Episode 12)
“I speak for the dead, and I’m not done!”
Cragen (Season 1, Episode 1)
“We don’t get to pick the vic.”
Benson (Season 24, Episode 12)
“I’m not ready for this.” [to Stabler when he tries to kiss her]
Rollins (Season 17, Episode 14)
“What, I have a baby and all of a sudden I can’t talk to serial killers anymore?”
Stabler (Season 1, Episode 5)
“Drama’s a major food group for teenage girls.”
Benson (Season 13, Episode 6)
“Healing begins when someone bears witness. I saw you. I believe you.”
Cragen (Season 1, Episode 10)
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you to smell the defendant.”
Det. Joe Velasco (Season 24, Episode 19)
“You’re here early. Shouldn’t you be at home alphabetizing your merit badges or something?” [to by-the-book Officer Tonie Churlish]
