19 Short Rainbow Quotes
A rainbow needs rain and sun at the same time, which is why almost every rainbow quote is really about getting through something.
These are the short ones — the lines that fit under a photo without scrolling.
Short Rainbow Quotes
“My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky.” — William Wordsworth, “My Heart Leaps Up”, 1802
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” — Maya Angelou
“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high.” — E.Y. Harburg, lyrics to “Over the Rainbow”, 1939
“Rainbows apologise for angry skies.”
“No rain, no rainbow.”
“A rainbow is a promise the sky keeps briefly.”
Rainbow Quotes About Life
“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.” — traditional saying
This one is usually credited to a Native American proverb, and no specific source has ever been established for it. It is old and its author is unknown.
“Every storm runs out of rain eventually.”
“You cannot have the colour without the weather.”
“Rainbows are proof that light can be taken apart and put back together.”
“Wait out the rain. That is the whole instruction.”
Rainbow After Rain Quotes
These are the ones people reach for after a hard stretch, which is most of why the search exists.
“The rain stopping is not the good part. What comes after is.”
“Storms end. Colour arrives late but it arrives.”
“Nobody gets the arc without the downpour.”
“Look east when the rain clears. That is where it will be.”
Cute Rainbow Quotes
“Chasing rainbows is a reasonable hobby.”
“Some skies show off.”
“Seven colours, no charge.”
“Made of water and light, and gone in ten minutes.”
How to Actually See One
Rainbows are not luck. They follow a fixed rule, and knowing it roughly doubles how often you catch one.
Put the sun behind you and look at the falling rain in front of you. The rainbow always appears in the part of the sky directly opposite the sun.
The sun has to be low. Below about 42 degrees above the horizon, which in practice means early morning and late afternoon. At midday in summer the arc falls below the horizon and there is nothing to see.
This is why the coast is good for them. Showers move through fast, the sun breaks between them, and you get the low-angle light twice a day.
If you are out in the weather that produces them, that means real rain gear rather than a packable shell — a proper waterproof hiking rain jacket is the difference between waiting out a shower and leaving early.
Rainbows last minutes, not hours. Take the photo first and admire it second.
FAQ
What is the best short rainbow quote?
“No rain, no rainbow” is the shortest one that still says something. For a photo caption with a name attached, Wordsworth’s “my heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky” is the strongest sourced option.
Who said “the soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears”?
Nobody knows. It is widely labelled a Native American proverb, sometimes specifically Minquass, but no source has ever been documented. It is safest to use it without attribution.
Is “try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud” really Maya Angelou?
Yes. She used the line repeatedly in interviews and public talks, and it is one of the few quotes in this genre with a solid attribution.
What time of day do rainbows appear?
Early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is below roughly 42 degrees. Around midday the arc sits below the horizon and cannot be seen from ground level.
Which way do I face to see a rainbow?
Directly away from the sun. If the sun is in the west, the rainbow will be in the eastern sky.
