Lena Waithe is an actress, screenwriter and producer. She is the first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award.
She also wrote an outstanding Comedy Series, “Thanksgiving” which was based on her personal experience with mother. Here are some of her inspiring quotes.
Inspiring Lena Waithe Quotes
“Even white people are tired of watching white people’s shows.” –Lena Waithe
“The things that make us different, those are our superpowers.” – Lena Waithe
“I’m writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.” – Lena Waithe
“Things meant to appeal to the masses usually end up appealing to no one.”
– Lena Waithe
“I hope that people will say that ‘she told the truth, she told her truth, she wasn’t afraid to live her truth, and she wasn’t afraid to live her truth out loud.’ That’s what I want my legacy to look like.” – Lena Waithe
“For me, it’s about making art that’s not good but phenomenal. James Baldwin didn’t want to just stay above the fray. Prince didn’t think, ‘I wonder what the industry is gonna think about ‘Purple Rain.” It’s just, is this honest? Is this real? Does this move me? The rest is icing.” – Lena Waithe
“I think, to me, I always want to tell the truth. I never want to sugarcoat things. I’ve never been accused of pulling punches.” – Lena Waithe
“I never had everything I wanted, but I never wanted for anything.” – Lena Waithe
“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.” – Lena Waithe
“I’m a huge fan of television, and the reason I’m a part of the world is because I’m a fan of it.”
– Lena Waithe
“I never thought I would write about Chicago, and I definitely never thought I would write a drama.” – Lena Waithe
“I think that for the most part, black people specifically have sort of been used as props in TV shows as a way to move story along or as a way to make things more entertaining.” – 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 that you are valid. You deserve to look, live, and walk through the world however you see fit. That’s why I find it extremely important to be so out, so black, and so myself.” – Lena Waithe
“People can say what they want about a person, but if you’re successful and you make them money, then people don’t care.” –Lena Waithe
“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.” –Lena Waithe
“I knew very early on I wanted to be a television writer. My teachers told me I was a strong writer and had a voice. I really leaned in to that.” – Lena Waithe
“Being a black person in America is exhausting.”
– Lena Waithe
“I definitely have been very mindful of what kind of leader and creator I want to be. A lot of that has to with looking at the writers that you work with. They’re all like your children. They all need love, but different versions of it.” – Lena Waithe
“I am always searching for something different or something fresh, something hasn’t been done. But the truth is, at the end of the day, we’re all sort of retelling something. We’re doing a version of something that’s already been done.” – Lena Waithe
“I think the stakes are always high when you’re an artist of color – to get things right, to get things perfect and make everybody happy.” – Lena Waithe
“Always maintain your composure.” – Lena Waithe
“With success always comes mimicry.”
– Lena Waithe
“I write for my people.” – Lena Waithe
“It’s interesting how things you hear as a kid take on a whole new meaning when you are an adult.” – Lena Waithe
“I sort of knew very early on that I wanted to be a writer. Even in high school, I was a big movie buff, very much into TV shows, and would critique them.” –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 before.” – Lena Waithe
“I’ve been obsessed with television since I was 7 years old, and I’ve always been writing on some level.” – Lena Waithe
“I consider myself more of a writer than I do a director.” – Lena Waithe
“For me, my brand is good storytelling.”
– 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 them all to be diverse. When it’s diverse, you’re going to have a completely different dynamic. Everybody feels othered. Nobody feels like they’ve got the upper hand.” – Lena Waithe
