The author discusses the subjective nature of the concept of analyzability. The argument is made that the analyst's idea about psychoanalysis is an essential variable that contributes to the decision as to whether a person is or is not analyzable. We organize clinical material according to our theoretical beliefs that, by definition, are always affected by our desires. Some of Freud's thinking about the relationship between culture and psychoanalytic theory is presented as well as the author's ideas about how Freud's wishes and defenses influenced his notion of analyzability. Clinical material is included.