Lena Waithe

For me, my brand is good storytelling.

— Lena Waithe

With success always comes mimicry.

— Lena Waithe

Always maintain your composure.

— Lena Waithe

I can't stop my comedic voice.

— Lena Waithe

I'm a big sneaker head.

— Lena Waithe

My aesthetic is very black.

— Lena Waithe

I'm queen of mentorship.

— Lena Waithe

I write for my people.

— Lena Waithe

I consider myself more of a writer than I do a director.

— Lena Waithe

I never want to feel too far away from people. I think that's when you get in trouble.

— Lena Waithe

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

— Lena Waithe

I never had everything I wanted, but I never wanted for anything.

— Lena Waithe

The things that make us different, those are our superpowers.

— Lena Waithe

You can talk all day long, but if you don't do something, it's a waste.

— Lena Waithe

Being a black person in America is exhausting.

— Lena Waithe

I don't need an Emmy to tell me to go to work. I've been working.

— Lena Waithe

It's always been my intention to never be boxed in. I never like to do something that it feels like I've done…

— Lena Waithe

I knew very early on I wanted to be a television writer. My teachers told me I was a strong writer and…

— Lena Waithe

The reason I get so excited about 'Master of None' is because it's showing people of color as regular people.

— Lena Waithe

I'm proud to carry that torch and be like, 'I'm gay! I'm black! Hang your dreams on me. Hang your hopes on…

— Lena Waithe

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

— Lena Waithe

My family still lives in Chicago: my mother, my sister, my nephew, my family is there. So even though I am not…

— Lena Waithe

I think it's so trite to say you have lead characters. It's like someone saying I'm the lead in my life.

— Lena Waithe

I always want to challenge myself as a writer. I consider myself more of a writer than I do a director.

— Lena Waithe

I really want the sense of black people being interconnected: If you black and you from Chicago, there's a connective tissue we…

— Lena Waithe

When people think of the South Side of Chicago, they don't think about where I'm from. It was sort of a pocket:…

— Lena Waithe

If you think you aren't valid for whatever reason, let my existence and the way the world embraces my existence tell you…

— Lena Waithe

The truth is, for me, when I was a young black girl who knew I was different, was watching TV, I would…

— Lena Waithe

I definitely have been very mindful of what kind of leader and creator I want to be. A lot of that has…

— Lena Waithe

I loved 'The Wizard Of Oz.' It was, like, you know how some kids, they're crying, and they put on - people…

— Lena Waithe

I actually really liked 'The Help.' I know that may not be a popular thing, but I thought it was a solid…

— Lena Waithe

I'm not asking for there to be all black writer's rooms or all Asian writer's rooms, or all white - I want…

— Lena Waithe

I think the stakes are always high when you're an artist of color - to get things right, to get things perfect…

— Lena Waithe

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

— Lena Waithe

The thing for me is to always tell the truth. Not to preach, but to tell the truth.

— Lena Waithe

Maybe some young girl seeing me on the Emmy stage may have meant something for them.

— Lena Waithe

I never like to do something that it feels like I've done before.

— Lena Waithe

Even white people are tired of watching white people's shows.

— Lena Waithe

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

— Lena Waithe

Being on Netflix lets us be experimental. We can do crazy things.

— Lena Waithe