Hasan Minhaj

“Every time I watch CNN, it feels like you're assigning me homework. Is Trump a Russian spy? I don't know. You tell me - I'm watching the news. It feels like I'm watching CNN watch the news. Just take an hour, figure out what you want to say, then go on the air.”

“Free speech is the foundation of an open and liberal democracy from college campuses to the White House.”

“J. Cole's 2014 'Forrest Hills Drive.' The album, artwork, and director of that album was a huge influence on the visuals for 'Homecoming King.'”

“Donald Trump is an extremist leader who came out of nowhere. He's self-financed, recruits through social media, attracts his followers with a radical ideology to take over the world, and is actively trying to promote a war between Islam and the West.”

“My biggest inspiration is black America and what they've done in the arts. I have always felt like an outsider in America, and what black Americans have done to add their chapter to this book called the American dream, and to be so unapologetic and true, and have added so much to art and culture in the world.”

“Everybody's past and history informs them.”

“There are definitely some set topics I go onstage with and want to talk about, but there's also an element of improvisation and spontaneity that I like to bring to each performance and talk about uniquely in that room.”

“Every time Trump goes golfing, the headline should read, 'Trump Goes Golfing. Apocalypse Delayed.'”

“This first-generation narrative keeps happening over and over and over again, whether it was Irish or Jewish or our community, South Asians, Japanese-Americans, Mexican-Americans. We've all gone through this sort of bridge, and it will continue to happen.”

“My favorite comedians are just presenting an argument, and they're doing it in a funny way.”

“I just started the way most comics start, doing open mic shows around Sacramento and San Francisco, and eventually, I moved to L.A. After about four or five years in L.A., I got the call to join the 'The Daily Show.'”

“In high school, I didn't know what comedy was, but I was involved in speech and debate and public speaking.”

“Personal narrative is one of the few things where people don't get caught up in fighting over esoteric rhetoric.”

“I was good at speech and debate and academics. I should've stayed in my lane, but I kept trying out for the basketball team. I thought I would make the N.B.A.”

“Jokes for jokes' sake are kind of meaningless to me. I understand the value of them, but it doesn't speak to me as much. You can lace your argument with jokes, but tell me why you're presenting this argument. What does it mean?”

“Every time a U.S.A. Today slides underneath my door, it's like they're saying, 'Hey, you're not that smart, right?'”

“I just hope that people get a variety of news sources to keep themselves informed.”

“We shouldn't get lost in the bombastic tweets of Trump. He provides such great fodder every day. You don't want to lose sight of the other stuff that's going on that's even more important.”

“I think perspective is a necessary, amazing thing.”

“I think the best comedians have that bravery and courage to say, 'This is what it is. This is unfair; that's not cool.'”