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19 June 1910
407 Brunswick Avenue
Toronto
Dear Professor Freud,
First let me thank you for kindly sending me the Leonardo book. I had followed your advice and not expected too much, so that when it came it charmed me very much to find such a delightfully delicate analysis. There is no credit in drawing conclusions when the material is so full as to make them obvious, but to trace them out, and to lighten the obscurity, when the clues are so fine and easily overlooked—that is the really wonderful. We must also be grateful that you put in so many general remarks and suggestions. What a tremendous work we have to do to follow up and expand your hints!
Also I have warmly to thank you for your very encouraging letter. I am always very happy to hear from you, for your letters mean so much to me, but I often feel ashamed of taking up your time, as there must be many of your pupils who make the same claim. As to originality, which you mentioned, I feel it is a more sensible ideal to aim at developing one's own capacity in whatever direction that may lie than in merely trying to be “original”. The originality-complex is not strong with me; my ambition is rather to know, to be “behind the scenes”, and “in the know”, rather than to find out. I realise that I have very little talent for originality; any talent I may have lies rather in the direction of being able to see perhaps quickly what others point out: no doubt that also has its use in the world. Therefore my work will be to try to work out in detail, and to find new demonstrations for the truth of, ideas that others have suggested. To me work is like a woman bearing a child; to men like you, I suppose it is more like the male fertilisation. That is crudely expressed, but I think you will understand what I mean.
The kind of thing that appeals to me is taking a given subject, e.g. umbilicus, buccal erogenous zone, etc., etc., and to try to follow up all its psychological implications by means of dreams, neuroses, mythology,