There are two kinds of women, those who want power in the world

The words of Jackie Kennedy — “There are two kinds of women, those who want power in the world and those who want power in bed.” — resound with the candor of one who walked among the mighty and witnessed both public grandeur and private intrigue. In them lies the recognition of two realms where influence is most keenly felt: the arena of politics and the chamber of intimacy. Both are domains of struggle, both are places where destinies may be shaped.

To seek power in the world is to stand among rulers, to lift one’s voice in councils, to mold the fate of nations. These are the women of statesmanship, like Cleopatra, who enthralled not only with beauty but with wit and command, swaying the might of Rome itself. Their ambition is not confined to hearth or home, but stretches across empires, their names written in marble and memory. Such women wield authority openly, challenging the order of men, yet also completing it, for without their strength, the world is poorer.

Yet there is also the power in bed, which, though hidden, is no less formidable. This is the dominion of intimacy, where hearts are swayed, kings undone, and decisions whispered in the stillness of night. Helen of Troy, whose beauty launched a thousand ships, did not hold a throne, yet her power drew nations into war. In the quiet domain of desire, women have steered the course of history with a subtler hand, their influence no less enduring than that of generals.

Jackie Kennedy, herself both participant and observer of the world’s stage, knew these truths intimately. As First Lady, she wielded soft power in the world through culture, charm, and diplomacy, shaping America’s image abroad. Yet she also lived within the private world of a marriage watched by millions, where power in bed and the dynamics of intimacy carried their own weight in shaping the lives of the powerful. Her words, though sharp, reveal a wisdom born from standing at the crossroads of both realms.

Let the generations remember: power takes many forms, and neither should be dismissed. The sword and the whisper, the throne and the bed — both have carved the course of history. Jackie’s reflection is thus not cynicism, but clarity: that women, like men, seek influence in the ways the world allows them, and in the ways it cannot forbid. To understand this is to honor the fullness of human strength, and to recognize that history is written not only in parliaments and on battlefields, but also in the secret chambers of the heart.