His mother took great pride in her firstborn, convinced that an old woman's prophecy--that he would be a great man in the world-would come true. Among Freud's lifelong characteristics were his high degree of self-confidence, his intense ambition to succeed, and his dreams of glory and fame. Again reflecting the impact of early experiences, Freud wrote: "A man who has been the indisputable favorite of his mother keeps for life the feeling of a conqueror, that confidence of success that often induces real success" (Jones, 1953, p. 5).