
To rise above the storm, you must first allow it to pass. — Erma Bombeck
—What lingers after this line?
Overcoming Challenges
This quote signifies that difficulties and struggles are temporary. Instead of resisting hardships, one must endure and allow them to subside before emerging stronger.
Patience in Adversity
It highlights the importance of patience when dealing with tough situations. Just like a storm, problems have a natural course and will eventually pass if one persists.
Resilience and Growth
By enduring the storm, individuals gain strength and wisdom. Rising above it means learning from hardships and growing into a more resilient person.
Emotional Acceptance
This quote also encourages accepting emotions and difficulties rather than suppressing them. Healing and growth come from acknowledging and processing experiences rather than fighting against them.
Metaphorical Meaning
The storm symbolizes struggles, while rising above represents triumph. This metaphor suggests that success and peace come after one has weathered the storm through endurance and perseverance.
Recommended Reading
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
One-minute reflection
What feeling does this quote bring up for you?
Related Quotes
6 selectedResilience is not just enduring the storm; it is learning to harvest the rain to nourish the roots you've already planted. — Elizabeth Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards
At first glance, Elizabeth Edwards rejects the common image of resilience as simple endurance. To ‘endure the storm’ suggests gritting one’s teeth and waiting for suffering to pass, yet her metaphor quickly moves further...
Read full interpretation →The craft of living is a slow art, requiring the courage to be ordinary and the patience to be consistent. — Parker Palmer
Parker Palmer
Parker Palmer’s line frames living not as a sudden achievement but as a craft, something formed through repetition, attention, and humility. By calling it a “slow art,” he shifts the focus away from dramatic breakthrough...
Read full interpretation →Recovery isn't linear. You are not behind; you are rebuilding. — Anne Wright
Anne Wright
At its core, Anne Wright’s quote pushes back against a common and damaging assumption: that healing should move neatly upward, without setbacks or pauses. By saying recovery “isn’t linear,” she reframes difficult days no...
Read full interpretation →When you plant seeds in the garden, you don't dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds; you know that the seeds will grow in time. — Thubten Chodron
Thubten Chodron
Thubten Chodron’s image of planting seeds turns patience into something practical and visible. Once a seed is placed in the soil, constant interference does not help it grow; in fact, it can damage what is beginning invi...
Read full interpretation →Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts. — Mac Griswold
Mac Griswold
Mac Griswold’s remark transforms gardening from a practical chore into a form of performance, one staged not on a theater floor but in soil, weather, and seasons. At first glance, the comparison seems surprising; yet the...
Read full interpretation →Anything worth having is worth waiting for, and everything worth doing is worth doing with patience. — Confucius
Confucius
At its core, this saying ties value to delay. Confucius suggests that truly meaningful things do not arrive instantly; instead, they ask us to endure uncertainty, effort, and time.
Read full interpretation →More From Author
More from Erma Bombeck →It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else. — Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck’s insight begins with a simple truth: dreams feel precious because they expose what we most deeply want. To share them is not merely to state a goal, but to reveal hope, insecurity, and the possibility of fa...
Read full interpretation →Gratitude is like gravy: better poured over everything. — Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck turns gratitude into something vividly domestic: gravy, a simple addition that makes an ordinary meal richer. By comparing thankfulness to something meant to be poured generously, she suggests that gratitude...
Read full interpretation →Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere. — Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck’s rocking-chair image lands because it captures worry’s most frustrating feature: motion without progress. You can feel occupied—replaying conversations, forecasting disasters, rehearsing arguments—yet nothi...
Read full interpretation →Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart. — Erma Bombeck
This quote encourages people to make the most of the present moment. It serves as a reminder to cherish opportunities and enjoy life's pleasures while they last.
Read full interpretation →