Quotes from Lena Waithe

Things meant to appeal to the masses usually end up appealing to no one.

I love Sarah Jessica Parker. What's not to like?

I was such a fan of Aziz. I watched 'Parks and Rec' like every other self-respecting hipster and loved his character so much and just thought he was so interesting.

My family still lives in Chicago: my mother, my sister, my nephew, my family is there. So even though I am not living there, I feel very close to it, and I visit very often.

I feel like I've accomplished a lot, but for me, it's about pushing to the point where I can be Mark Walhberg, Ryan Murphy, or Shonda Rhimes. I want to be at that table in terms of bringing new voices in.

My mother was born into a segregated America. How crazy is that?

Being born gay, black, and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay black female is.

Every black man in Chicago walks through the world differently, and I think what young black boys do is observe, and that's what gives them their road map.

I don't want to be white. I don't want to be straight. I don't want to blend in.

I feel like I wanna have a series of moments. It's scary when they say you're having a moment, because moments are momentary.

You have to write and develop and wait for the world to catch up to your art.

I never thought I would write about Chicago, and I definitely never thought I would write a drama.

There's something specific about Chicagoans, and I just felt like I'd love to tell their story in a creative way. Not in a way to go, 'Oh, Chicago's perfect.' I don't believe that. I don't think that. I know we have our issues.

Obviously, I love Steph Curry. I think he's dope and a really cool player to watch.

Growing up, I didn't just watch 'The Cosby Show.' I watched 'Growing Pains' and 'Family Ties,' too.

The truth is, for me, when I was a young black girl who knew I was different, was watching TV, I would always be staring at the TV set looking for myself, and I didn't see me. And when you don't see yourself, you start to think that you don't matter, or you start to think that something is wrong with you.

Always maintain your composure.

To be a black person is to come from a long bloodline of survivors and storytellers, with a resilience that people can't even comprehend.

I love basketball! When I'm flying, and I have on sweats, a hat, and sneakers, people always assume that I'm a high school kid going to an away game. And I always say no, I'm a fan of the game.

It was a symbolic moment when 'Moonlight' literally took the Oscar out of 'La La Land's' hand.

I love a web series. But to me, it does the girl in Detroit a disservice who just watches television. It does a disservice to the girl on the south side of Chicago who doesn't go online.

As a black woman in the industry, you really do have to hold your head higher, stick your chest out, be kind and polite and generous even when you don't want to be sometimes. I learned that and, also, just to never take no for an answer.

The cool thing about dope black style becoming in style is that the industry has no choice but to try and reduplicate that.

I'm a big fan of Nora Ephron, who believed everything is copy, and I agree.