Where does that sheer stamina and self-belief come from? How does she get to re-charge her batteries, day after day?
How many of us would be able to think clearly and act decisively when faced with our own pressing problems, let alone those of the country as a whole?
We have a Prime Minister who is renowned worldwide for her kindness and empathy but who has shown, in addition to that, an ability, unmatched by any other world leader, to take the tough decisions.
A Donald Trump, for all his macho posturing, has quailed, and failed to meet his responsibilities. He has been overwhelmed and shown himself categorically to lack the qualities needed in a leader at a time of national emergency. He has no plan, no strategy, to defeat the pandemic. Bluster is no substitute for decisive action.
There are other leaders too - Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and even Boris Johnson of the UK - who have talked in a macho way and then failed miserably to take any effective action.
Which of us, and which other world leaders, would have had the sheer audacity to commit a whole country to lockdown overnight - but she did!
That audacity saved tens of thousands of lives and, since the one is the corollary of the other, helped to protect our economy as well.
She has shown, in other words, that she can bear on her slight shoulders the heaviest of burdens.
The lesson we must draw is that "toughness" is not to be established by just claiming to be tough, or by being a bruiser, or by bullying and throwing your weight around, or by treating people harshly, without courtesy and respect.
The toughness we need is of a different kind; it is the readiness to face up to and deal with the harsh realities and unprecedented challenges of a pandemic that has reached a scale and severity unique in human history; it is the energy and bravery and self-confidence, the guts and determination, to find a way through and around it on behalf of all of us.