20 Donald Glover Quotes to Inspire Writers and Creatives

How does Donald Glover manage it?  The screenwriter, director, actor, rapper, producer and comedian has a jammed packed awards cabinet and track record of amazing work across many different forms. As with many creatives, Donald Glover has become relatively media-shy the more acclaimed he has become. But we’ve compiled the rare Donald Glover quotes there are.

These quotes will give you insight into his creative process and inspire all those aspiring multi-hyphenates out there. What exactly makes such a restless talent tick? And how does he maintain such a prolific, diverse output?

Donald Glover – Master Of All

Born in Edwards, California, in 1983, Glover seemed destined to write for, and create, greats. He was voted “Most Likely to Write For The Simpsons” in his high school yearbook and would go on to study at New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Dramatic Writing.

It was in 2006, at the age of 23, that Glover landed his first writing gig on the show 30 Rock. During this time Glover would receive knock-backs as well as acceptance: he unsuccessfully auditioned to play Barack Obama on the comedy sketch program Saturday Night Live, for example.

Glover continued on though and would write and star, along with other members of the Derrick Comedy group in 2009’s Mystery Team. However, it was a TV show, with its first season released in 2009, where Glover would start to become commercially recognisable to general audiences around the world. Glover would play Troy Barnes, the heroic yet childish student in Dan Harmon’s Community.

Over the next ten years, Glover would also release four studio albums under the moniker Childish Gambino: Camp (2011), Because The Internet (2013), “Awaken My Love!”, and 2020’s 3.15.20, as well as his scathing and satirical viral single This Is America in 2018.

As well as releasing four studio albums in this time he would also land acting roles in Magic Mike XXL, The Martian, Spiderman: Homecoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story and the live-action remake of The Lion King in which he voiced Simba. Oh, and he also found time to complete a stand-up comedy tour titled IAMDONALD. That’s quite the output.

And yet, despite all this, we perhaps best know Donald Glover, in terms of writing at least, for his hugely successful, Emmy award-winning show Atlanta – a surreal, funny, dark genre-bending comedy series set in his hometown.