--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was never a great man who had not a…" description: "\"There was never a great man who had not a great mother.\" — Olive Schreiner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/olive-schreiner-10332_great_there-was-never-a-great-man-who-had-not_1384318.png" --- # There was never a great man who had not a great mother. ![“There was never a great man who had not a great mother.” quote by Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/olive-schreiner-10332_great_there-was-never-a-great-man-who-had-not_1384318.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/olive-schreiner-10332_great_there-was-never-a-great-man-who-had-not_1384318.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/olive-schreiner-10332_great_there-was-never-a-great-man-who-had-not_1384318.png) > “There was never a great man who had not a great mother.” [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great men are shaped by the influence of great mothers, underscoring maternal impact on greatness **In simple terms:** Mothers shape great individuals Key Takeaway Recognize maternal contributions to achievement Themes family gender legacy Mood reflective respectful Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - parenting advice - historical analysis - gender studies Key Concepts maternal influence role models social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How does maternal support affect leadership? - What other factors contribute to greatness? A Different Perspective Not all great men have supportive mothers; context varies ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Great mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-mother/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Wherever you find a great man, you will find a great mother or a great wife standing behind him -- or so they used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/wherever-you-find-a-great-man-you-will-find-a-great-mother-or-a-great/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I love my wife. We've had a few slings and arrows across the room, but I'm not prepared to give in, you know? 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Nor will I ever repeat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-hall/my-father-was-a-really-great-man-i-ll-never-forget-the-last-thing-he/) [John S. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-hall/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) ## More by Olive Schreiner > [A word may become so defiled by bad use that it will take a century before it can be purifed, and brought into use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/a-word-may-become-so-defiled-by-bad-use-that-it-will-take-a-century/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [No woman who is a woman says of a human body, 'it is nothing' ... 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