Quotes from Jessica Williams

I ended up living in braids. It was the '90s - thin braids were very popular - and my mom took me to a lady's kitchen. I got it done, and I've never stopped.

Really, laughing is such a strange reaction to something. The idea of it is so bizarre, so instinctual, and kind of magical.

There's milk-and-cookies Grandma, and there's Colt 45 and Atlantic City Grandma. She was the latter.

I feel like, all things aside, it's a really great time to be a woman. And I don't want to hear stories from, like, white dudes anymore. Like, not really. I want to hear stories from women.

When you see the way some people write women, especially in studio movies, it's like, 'Sorry! Sorry for being alive!' Women are so apologetic.

It's a really nice way to cut your teeth, doing live shows. It's like going to the gym because you do have to think fast. You are constantly under the threat of people not laughing. Instead of getting hit, people could just not laugh, so you really are trying to mine quickly for the funniest thing you could say in that moment.

I used to think men were these idiots who just yelled at you on the street. But, part of my maturing was realizing that not all men are evil or monsters.

As I got older, I had to learn to not have people speak for me. It was the first time I recognized, 'Oh, sometimes people are going to condescend to me because I'm a woman, or sometimes people aren't going to give me opportunities because of the way I look.'

Some of the best comedies now are led by women who are very involved: 'Parks and Recreation.' 'Veep's' incredible. I love 'Girls.'

I have never been a 'hair person.' Growing up, my mom and my sister, who loved to get their hair done, would always give me a hard time about not getting mine done.

Height has been very, very central to the development of my personality.

The stories I want to tell are when we're our own heroes and our own enemies, and I don't think that's a rude thing to ask for. I don't think that's something I should apologize for.

I live in Brooklyn; I live in Clinton Hill. I love it there.

Acting-wise, I love Helena Bonham Carter. I love Kate Winslet. I love Angelina Jolie when she was 'Girl, Interrupted' Angelina Jolie. There isn't anybody that I can definitely point to and be like her. Because I've never felt like I've been able to relate to the women that are famous.

I thought I was going to be hired as a contributor, but 'The Daily Show' was like, 'Nah, it's an election year, we want you to come over here and work full-time.'

I don't know how to cook. I work a lot. So, for me, then, it's important to find a man who can cook. Who will make the house a home more than I can.

I don't think I'll ever be a housewife.

Post-'Daily Show' has been so busy, which I've been surprised about. We're basically independent contractors in a way. So you have one gig, and you're worried about never getting another gig again, or at least I do.

Some days, I do feel that pressure of, 'What do I mean as a black woman? What am I representing?' It honestly just gives me anxiety.

My favorite place in the world is the Harry Potter tour near London.

Every day when I wake up, I check Instagram.

I think there's something to the millennial sentiment of being, like, 'I'm great.' But I think there's also something really amazing and powerful about being, like, 'Oh, hey, I'm awesome.' It's a fine line. But I think it's possible to be both, to not be the most annoying person in the world, to still be very intriguing and fun to watch.

A lot of the time, black people, we don't introduce ourselves as black.

There's a really positive side of being an introvert - you really pick up on things a lot more than your extroverted counterparts.