Quotes

L.A. is such a different place. I miss New York so much. I almost teared up when I came back and wanted a Guinness and realized I could drink it and take a cab home. I remembered that I could be a functional alcoholic in New York, like I used to be!

[on his character Troy in "Community"] When you think of the former high school football star, you think 6-foot-2, white, meathead as the model for that kind of character. Since I'm not 6-foot-2 or white, I just thought about what I could bring to it. I thought about Smash Williams from 'Friday Night Lights,' like the cocky quarterback, and played around with that.

Writing is a very strenuous thing - it's like banging your head against a wall. At the end of the day, acting is better, just because nobody ever asked me if I wanted a Pellegrino in the writer's room.

[on getting the job as a writer on "30 Rock"] I had a 'Simpsons' and 'Everybody Hates Chris' spec and I remember thinking I was never going to hear from them again. Even after meeting with Tina, I left thinking I wasn't going to get it.

I don't tell a lot of other comedians the story of how I ended up there because I guess a lot of people say it's like a fairy tale. But I just think I was lucky enough to figure out early on that I wanted to do comedy, so that's what I put all my effort into.

I'm probably going to get in trouble for this but 'American Dad' is one of my favorite shows. It gets very dark in places but the jokes are there.

I try to be me to the utmost.

I think it's a comedian's job to make everything funny. Nothing is off-limits.

I have an obsession with books about kids with Asperger's syndrome.

I felt like high school for me was like a big whirlpool of me trying to figure out what was OK for me to do.

Careers very rarely are a waste of time; jobs usually are.

But I just think I was lucky enough to figure out early on that I wanted to do comedy, so that's what I put all my effort into.

Black men struggle with masculinity so much. The idea that we must always be strong really presses us all down - it keeps us from growing.

Also, I realized a lot of kids are listening to me. Whether I want to be or not, they're looking up to me.

A lot of the rap shows I saw as a kid were boring, but if you went to a Rage show or a Justice show, the kids were losing their minds.

The thing about stand-up was, I was doing all this sketch and YouTube stuff where I was not being censored and I got to do my own thing, and it was really cool.

I'm very impatient, so I was like, 'I want to be able to do whatever I want now.' But even the biggest stars - you look back and they weren't overnight.

I started doing '30 Rock' and started writing 'Mystery Team' at the beginning of that. While I was doing 'Mystery Team,' I started practicing stand-up. While I was doing stand up, I got 'Community.' It's like I planted trees six years ago, and now they have fruit.

I personally don't believe people really grow. They just learn stuff when they were a kid, and hold on to it, and that affects every relationship they have.

I call 'Community' the best day job in the world, because between takes, I get to write music. I get to write sketches. I get to write movies. It's the best job ever.

Black culture is a fight. We want to hold on to what we are, but sometimes the things that we are can be totally negative. You have to think: can't we try something new and not be seen as suspect?

When anybody pays you to be creative, you're very lucky.

We put stereotypes on ourselves. Everybody does that. But I think it's just a little harder for black kids to just be who they are.

Usually, if I think something is really funny, I'm not gonna test it. I'll just test it when I'm onstage.

Twitter does have an effect on everything - things you put out there, they are out there for good.

The only reason I'm able to do music is because I'm making money on 'Community.' If I wasn't, I couldn't pay for things.

If you're on Twitter, what you're saying is, 'I'm important enough for you to care what I think.'

I'm not a big party animal, but I like to create moments people can hold on to.

I'm not scared of the future at all. The future is progress if you treat it right.

I started doing 30 Rock (2006) and started writing Mystery Team (2009) at the beginning of that. While I was doing Mystery Team (2009), I started practicing stand-up. While I was doing stand up, I got Community (2009). It's like I planted trees six years ago, and now they have fruit.

The only reason I'm able to do music is because I'm making money on Community (2009). If I wasn't, I couldn't pay for things.

I call Community (2009) the best day job in the world, because between takes, I get to write music. I get to write sketches. I get to write movies. It's the best job ever.

I'm probably going to get in trouble for this but American Dad! (2005) is one of my favorite shows. It gets very dark in places but the jokes are there.

[on getting the job as a writer on "30 Rock (2006)"] I had a The Simpsons (1989) and Everybody Hates Chris (2005) spec and I remember thinking I was never going to hear from them again. Even after meeting with Tina, I left thinking I wasn't going to get it. I don't tell a lot of other comedians the story of how I ended up there because I guess a lot of people say it's like a fairy tale. But I just think I was lucky enough to figure out early on that I wanted to do comedy, so that's what I put all my effort into.