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We’ve all heard the expression “behind every great man, there’s a great woman,” or some permutation of it (my personal favorite is Groucho Marx‘s: “behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife”). It’s a familiar expression because it’s generally true, even if not quite as universal as the word “every” suggests.
Just as a bad woman can lead to a man’s swift downfall—or, worse yet, years of misery and then a swift downfall—a good woman can support a man through his trials, and even make him king.
Such was the case of Margaret Beaufort, who, through a combination of skill, diplomacy, wealth, and mother love, guided her son Henry through the complicated and dangerous War of the Roses to emerge as King Henry VII, the first monarch of the Tudor Dynasty.
Her bravery, tenacity, and sheer luck safeguarded her son through a lengthy exile, and ultimately to the height of power. Her grandson, Henry VIII, would become the most powerful English monarch of his age, so much so that modern historians frequently regard him as a tyrant.
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The Portly Politico 
You may have made an important point quite unintentionally. Or maybe just subtly through allusion. That great woman is far more likely to have been the great man’s mother than any wife or girlfriend. Though, I’ve known a few great men who became great do to rebuilding themselves after the end of a relationship with a far less and other than great woman.
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It was likely unintentional, but I agree with the point all the same. My own mother certainly pushed me. I agree with your second point, too: I worked hard to improve myself after a particularly devastating and toxic (to use an overused word) relationship that I ended in 2018 (after letting it linger on for far too long). Either way, women inspire—gulp!
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