This lovely metaphor suggests that sadness, like rain, is a normal part of life, and just as a storm gives way to clearer skies, a good cry is often followed by a period of greater clarity. Passing through sadness can engender a beautiful opening and expression of the soul, like a rainbow after a storm. Though the precise origins of this Native American proverb are unknown, the quote was popularized by writer and librarian John Vance Cheney when he included it in a poem published in 1892.