Betty took him for a walk in the zoo and he was amused by her evident belief in the curative power of animals. She seemed to think that it must stead…

- Nathanael West

Man spends a great deal of time making order out of chaos, yet insists that the emotions be disordered. I order my emotions: I am insane.

- Nathanael West

Every child, everywhere; in the whole world there was not one child who was not gravely, sweetly dancing.

- Nathanael West

At college, and perhaps for a year afterwards, they had believed in literature, had believed in Beauty and in personal expression as an absolute end.…

- Nathanael West

Feeling is of the heart and nerves and the crudeness of its expression has nothing to do with its intensity.

- Nathanael West

Numbers constitute the only universal language.

- Nathanael West

Art Is a Way Out. Do not let life overwhelm you. When the old paths are choked with the débris of failure, look for newer and fresher paths. Art is j…

- Nathanael West

Only those who still have hope can benefit from tears.

- Nathanael West

Like a dead man, only friction could make him warm or violence make him mobile.

- Nathanael West