“The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?'”
- May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939
- Austrian
- Neurologist, Founder of Psychoanalysis
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Quote
“The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?'”
Explanation
This famous quote captures Freud’s frustration and fascination with the complexity of female psychology, particularly in contrast to his more confident theories about male development. Despite decades of work, he admits that the inner life and desires of women remained elusive to him. The tone carries a mix of intellectual humility and irony, acknowledging both the limitations of his theories and the depth of the subject.
In Freud’s time, psychoanalysis was grounded in a male-centric framework, and his theories—such as penis envy or the Oedipus complex—often tried to explain female development by analogy to male experience. Many later thinkers, especially feminist scholars, have criticized this approach for failing to account for women’s distinct psychological and social experiences. Freud’s admission in this quote indirectly recognizes that his methods may not fully grasp the female psyche, which was shaped by factors far beyond individual biology, including culture, repression, and inequality.
Today, the quote is often cited in discussions about gender, psychology, and the evolution of psychoanalytic thought. While Freud may have framed the question in overly simplistic or patriarchal terms, his acknowledgment of its complexity opened the door for later psychologists—such as Karen Horney or contemporary feminists—to redefine female identity and desire on more equal and nuanced terms. The quote remains a symbol of the enduring challenge of understanding human subjectivity across gender lines.
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