There is something very intriguing about, for example, the sense of accomplishment that a small child has, which you might be able to reduce to aggression and libido, but which might also have some independent existence.

And my interest in history was, and remains, very strong: what I wanted was to understand certain things better by understanding them psychoanalytically.

The ideas of theologians are refuted by their adversaries, the ideas of scientists are refuted by their followers.

People seem to forget that one reason they are now thinking differently is Freud's legacy itself.

There is something very intriguing about, for example, the sense of accomplishment that a small child has, which you might be able to reduce to aggression and libido, but which might also have some independent existence.

I decided that what I really wanted to do was to make my writing in history deeper, if that's the right word to use. And that is what I did.

My definition of modernism took a while to develop.