---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Behind every great man there stands a…"
description: "\"Behind every great man there stands a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.\" — William J. Clinton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg"
---

#  Behind every great man there stands a great woman. Behind…

![“Behind every great man there stands a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg)

> “Behind every great man there stands a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.”

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

## 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 supported by great women; similarly, great women have strong support behind them.

**In simple terms:** Support behind great people matters.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and honor supportive partners.

Themes

gender roles support leadership partnership

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- leadership training
- marriage counseling
- team building
- historical analysis

Key Concepts

social dynamics gender equality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can support be mutual regardless of gender?
- What does “great behind” imply?

A Different Perspective

The statement reinforces gender stereotypes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Behind every great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behind-every-great-man/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Great women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-women/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/)

## Related quotes

> [Behind every great woman is a great behind!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-shear/behind-every-great-woman-is-a-great-behind/)

Rhonda Shear

> [“Behind every great man is a great woman' but in front of every great man should be a spectacular woman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-but-in-front-of-every-great/)

[josh stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [Behind every great man there's a great woman...behind every great woman there's envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-there-s-a-great-woman-behind-every-great-woman/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Women rule each other. They say that behind every great man there's a great woman, and that may well be right, but behind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-v-morgan/women-rule-each-other-they-say-that-behind-every-great-man-there-s-a/)

[Lucy V. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-v-morgan/)

> [Every great man has a woman behind him ... And every great woman has some man or other in front of her, tripping her up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/every-great-man-has-a-woman-behind-him-and-every-great-woman-has-some/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [I think behind every great man there's got to be a great woman, whether she's your wife, your girlfriend or not. I'm not gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-royce/i-think-behind-every-great-man-there-s-got-to-be-a-great-woman/)

[Prince Royce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-royce/)

> [I grab Sarah’s hand. “You are more than that. I need you here with me. You’re pretty much the only thing keeping me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/i-grab-sarah-s-hand-you-are-more-than-that-i-need-you-here-with-me/)

[Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/)

> [Behind every great man is a great woman who gives him all that false confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-who-gives-him-all-that-false/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Women are supposed to control men, isn’t that how it goes? What’s that saying again: ‘Behind every great man is a great woman’. We’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-a-denzil/women-are-supposed-to-control-men-isn-t-that-how-it-goes-what-s-that/)

[Sarah A. Denzil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-a-denzil/)

> [Behind every great man is a great woman telling him he's not as great as he thinks he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-telling-him-he-s-not-as-great/)

[Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/)

> [Behind every great man theres a great woman who can take whatever he just said and turn it into a great big fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/behind-every-great-man-theres-a-great-woman-who-can-take-whatever-he/)

Azgraybebly Joslan

> [Behind every great man is a great woman, so treat your lady to something special!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-so-treat-your-lady-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I absolutely love Oprah Winfrey. What a great woman and a great businesswoman. She seems to really campaign for an expansion of global consciousness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendoline-christie/i-absolutely-love-oprah-winfrey-what-a-great-woman-and-a-great/)

[Gwendoline Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendoline-christie/)

> [Behind every great man there's a great woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/behind-every-great-man-there-s-a-great-woman/)

Proverb

> [Behind every great man is a great woman. And behind them both is a queue of children looking forward to their inheritance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-and-behind-them-both-is-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by William J. Clinton

> [When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it. That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-personal-freedom-s-being-abused-you-have-to-move-to-limit-it/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Almost makes you want to go to jail out here, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/almost-makes-you-want-to-go-to-jail-out-here-doesn-t-it/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [I take full responsability...for what we did. It was the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-take-full-responsability-for-what-we-did-it-was-the-right-thing-to/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Even as people take pride in their national independence, we know we are becoming more and more interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/even-as-people-take-pride-in-their-national-independence-we-know-we/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [To build a twenty-first-century economy, America must revive a nineteenth-century habit--investing in the common, national economic resources that enable every person and every firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/to-build-a-twenty-first-century-economy-america-must-revive-a/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [One of the things that I think we have learned is that we should all be very careful about making predictions about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-things-that-i-think-we-have-learned-is-that-we-should-all/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Only astrophysicists new about the Internet 20 years ago. Today my cat has a website.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/only-astrophysicists-new-about-the-internet-20-years-ago-today-my-cat/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [You know, I've always been really interested in this stuff, and I'm going to read this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-know-i-ve-always-been-really-interested-in-this-stuff-and-i-m/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [If you believe in making change from the bottom up, if you believe the measure of change is how many people's lives are better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-you-believe-in-making-change-from-the-bottom-up-if-you-believe-the/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [ We \[Democrats\] have got to be strong. When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. when people feel uncertain,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-democrats-have-got-to-be-strong-when-we-look-weak-in-a-time-where/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [It's the economy, stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-s-the-economy-stupid/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [The Republicans could mess up a two car parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-republicans-could-mess-up-a-two-car-parade/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [We're all in this together is a far better philosophy than you're on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-re-all-in-this-together-is-a-far-better-philosophy-than-you-re-on/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

[Explore all 712 William J. Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

## More Behind every great man quotes

> [“Behind every great man is a great woman' but in front of every great man should be a spectacular woman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-but-in-front-of-every-great/)

[josh stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [Behind every great man there was a woman but behind every women there were men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juju/behind-every-great-man-there-was-a-woman-but-behind-every-women-there/)

[Juju](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juju/)

> [Behind every great man theres a great woman who can take whatever he just said and turn it into a great big fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/behind-every-great-man-theres-a-great-woman-who-can-take-whatever-he/)

Azgraybebly Joslan

> [Behind every great man is a supportive and devoted woman to keep his head on straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-is-a-supportive-and-devoted-woman-to-keep-his/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ As the saying goes, behind every great man is an even greater woman. I guess playing Hera \[in Wonder Woman\] means that I'm, well,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marg-helgenberger/as-the-saying-goes-behind-every-great-man-is-an-even-greater-woman-i/)

[Marg Helgenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marg-helgenberger/)

> [Behind every great man there is a surprised woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryon-pearson/behind-every-great-man-there-is-a-surprised-woman/)

[Maryon Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryon-pearson/)

> [Behind every great man there's a great woman...behind every great woman there's envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-there-s-a-great-woman-behind-every-great-woman/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Cedric: “I can think of another reason not to be the hero. Every hero has to sacrifice the one he loves. I don’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-mauritz/cedric-i-can-think-of-another-reason-not-to-be-the-hero-every-hero/)

B. Mauritz

> [Behind every great man is a great woman, so treat your lady to something special!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-so-treat-your-lady-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Behind every great man there is a suprised woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryon-pearson/behind-every-great-man-there-is-a-suprised-woman/)

[Maryon Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryon-pearson/)

> [“Behind every great man is a man greater, his father.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeeb-akande/behind-every-great-man-is-a-man-greater-his-father/)

[Habeeb Akande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeeb-akande/)

> [Behind every great man is a woman. Telling him he's not so hot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/behind-every-great-man-is-a-woman-telling-him-he-s-not-so-hot/)

[Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/)

> [Behind every great man is his wife trying to keep him alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-baldoni/behind-every-great-man-is-his-wife-trying-to-keep-him-alive/)

[Justin Baldoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-baldoni/)

> [Behind every great man is no one. The woman is 3 steps ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/behind-every-great-man-is-no-one-the-woman-is-3-steps-ahead/)

[Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/)

> [Behind every great man is a good brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-followill/behind-every-great-man-is-a-good-brother/)

Nathan Followill

[Browse all 35 Behind every great man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behind-every-great-man/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Behind every great man there stands a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William J. Clinton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-great-woman-behind-every-great/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Behind every great man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-great-woman-behind-every-great/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbd/william-j-clinton-302_behind-every-great-m_behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-gr_2469498.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Behind every great man there stands a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.” — William J. Clinton",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "William J. Clinton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Behind every great man there stands...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-great-woman-behind-every-great/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/behind-every-great-man-there-stands-a-great-woman-behind-every-great/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```