We are proud of you!

I was returning from a business meeting.
Wit my boss and a colleague.
This colleague of mine has done the same schooling as me, junior by batch, and then joined this office. He has been working here for a long time.
We stopped at a place on our way back home. Since this colleague's relatives were going to meet him.

They absolutely admired my boss, his work and our company. And spoke so many good things about the same.
And then while speaking of all this, they explicitly mentioned that they were proud of him to be excelling to come up to this position.

I kept thinking. Was it easier to say that a guy has achieved. Was it about the humbleness of the people around, that they felt he was really good and they were proud of him.

Has anyone ever said this about me! Did anyone really feel the need to ?
I have done a lot of work, been through mad circumstances, helped n number of people.
Have I really encountered a situation when someone, my close kin has said that I am proud of all that you do and manage?

Is it because I am woman and its no big deal if I did it. Or is it that people around me are so full of themselves that they do not realise that they could say such a thing across.

It just comes to my mind, may be I can say that to people around me. Which I off course do. For sure, and will keep doing.