--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You might have to go through some smaller…" description: "\"You might have to go through some smaller rainbows to get at the big fish, but they're in there.\" — Jack Hemingway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg" --- # You might have to go through some smaller rainbows to get… ![“You might have to go through some smaller rainbows to get at the big fish, but they're in there.” quote by Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg) > “You might have to go through some smaller rainbows to get at the big fish, but they're in there.” [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving big goals may require tackling smaller, less obvious challenges first, which ultimately lead to success. **In simple terms:** Small steps lead to big results. Key Takeaway Focus on incremental progress toward larger objectives. Themes goal‑setting perseverance strategy Mood motivational practical Type inspirational self‑help When to use this quote - career advancement - personal projects - learning new skills Key Concepts incremental progress obstacle navigation long‑term planning Questions to Reflect On - What minor tasks can you start today? - How do you stay motivated through small setbacks? A Different Perspective Small tasks can feel insignificant but are essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-fish/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Rainbows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbows/) ## Related quotes > [Captains who fish for compliments are limited to shallow shores. You'll catch big fish in deep waters by opening more doors than you close!~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-compton/captains-who-fish-for-compliments-are-limited-to-shallow-shores-you/) [Bobby Compton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-compton/) > [Big fishes need big baits..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/big-fishes-need-big-baits/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [I'm never sure one is exactly ready. You jump in, with both feet, into a very big fish pond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-m-never-sure-one-is-exactly-ready-you-jump-in-with-both-feet-into-a/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [Big fish eat small fish with as much right as they have power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/big-fish-eat-small-fish-with-as-much-right-as-they-have-power/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [I'm a big fish eater. Salmon - I love salmon. My sister loves Chinese food and sushi and all that. I'm not as big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-fanning/i-m-a-big-fish-eater-salmon-i-love-salmon-my-sister-loves-chinese/) [Elle Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-fanning/) > [I'm a huge 'Nightmare before Christmas' fan, but that was also Henry Selick. I'm a really big fan of 'Sleepy Hollow.' I love 'Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-leth/i-m-a-huge-nightmare-before-christmas-fan-but-that-was-also-henry/) [Kate Leth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-leth/) > [I flung open the door. I got a momentary flash of about a hundred and fifteen cats of all sizes and colours scrapping in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-flung-open-the-door-i-got-a-momentary-flash-of-about-a-hundred-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Lesson number one: “Not my problem” is not a philosophy. It’s a mental illness. Right up there with pessimism. Other people’s problems are our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/lesson-number-one-not-my-problem-is-not-a-philosophy-it-s-a-mental/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [I am a storyteller, and I grew up with a father who told big-fish stories, so storytelling is very much a part of me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stroman/i-am-a-storyteller-and-i-grew-up-with-a-father-who-told-big-fish/) [Susan Stroman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stroman/) > [The storms come and go, the waves crash overhead, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling. (Varys)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-storms-come-and-go-the-waves-crash-overhead-the-big-fish-eat-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At the Fishhouses Although it is a cold evening, down by one of the fishhouses an old man sits netting, his net, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/at-the-fishhouses-although-it-is-a-cold-evening-down-by-one-of-the/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wallace/they-say-when-you-meet-the-love-of-your-life-time-stops-and-that-s/) [Daniel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wallace/) > [“Remember how we forgot? Once upon a time, we were young Our dreams hung like apples Waiting to be picked and peeled And hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-l-koyczan/remember-how-we-forgot-once-upon-a-time-we-were-young-our-dreams-hung/) Shane L. Koyczan > [Bragging is not an attractive trait, but let's be honest. A man who catches a big fish doesn't go home through an alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/bragging-is-not-an-attractive-trait-but-let-s-be-honest-a-man-who/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) ## More by Jack Hemingway > [I'm not a furniture person. You sit on the stuff, sleep on it, make love on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/i-m-not-a-furniture-person-you-sit-on-the-stuff-sleep-on-it-make-love/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [People ask me what I do, and I tell them, 'I'm a fisherman and a hunter.' They look at me like I'm lazy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/people-ask-me-what-i-do-and-i-tell-them-i-m-a-fisherman-and-a-hunter/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [I know he wanted me to love fishing and hunting, and I believe that he deliberately set about to make me want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/i-know-he-wanted-me-to-love-fishing-and-hunting-and-i-believe-that-he/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [At the time of his death and the few years before, I was just starting to pull myself together and make a reasonably good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/at-the-time-of-his-death-and-the-few-years-before-i-was-just-starting/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [He's never portrayed as being funny. He was a very funny, happy, lively person. Fun to be around and exciting. He was my hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/he-s-never-portrayed-as-being-funny-he-was-a-very-funny-happy-lively/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [My mother, along with Papa's other eventual wives - Pauline, Marty Gelhorn, Mary Welch - they all, at one time or another, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/my-mother-along-with-papa-s-other-eventual-wives-pauline-marty/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [It's hard to think of your parents as lovers. You know you got here somehow, but it's hard to visualize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/it-s-hard-to-think-of-your-parents-as-lovers-you-know-you-got-here/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [I wanted to write a book about Hemingway's Paris, but a professor beat me to it. I suddenly realized other people were making a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/i-wanted-to-write-a-book-about-hemingway-s-paris-but-a-professor-beat/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [I was proud of Papa for his sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/i-was-proud-of-papa-for-his-sports/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [He was a physically imposing presence - 6 feet tall and very broad in the shoulders - and an imposing intellectual presence as well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/he-was-a-physically-imposing-presence-6-feet-tall-and-very-broad-in/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [My father had two personas: first, literary, and second, the way he lived. I've been brought up with all of this, but many other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/my-father-had-two-personas-first-literary-and-second-the-way-he-lived/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [Frankly I never seriously read my father's books until after he died. Up to then, there had been no point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/frankly-i-never-seriously-read-my-father-s-books-until-after-he-died/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [Food has always been a thing in our family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/food-has-always-been-a-thing-in-our-family/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [We were out drinking and fishing one day, and somebody said to me, 'People are starting to make money off your name. You and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/we-were-out-drinking-and-fishing-one-day-and-somebody-said-to-me/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [Comfort and solidity was what made him happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/comfort-and-solidity-was-what-made-him-happy/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) [Explore all 43 Jack Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You might have to go through some smaller rainbows to get at the big fish, but they're in there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Hemingway" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smaller-rainbows-to-get-at-the-big/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smaller-rainbows-to-get-at-the-big/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/jack-hemingway-15377_big_you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smalle_974379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You might have to go through some smaller rainbows to get at the big fish, but they're in there.” — Jack Hemingway", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jack Hemingway", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You might have to go through...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smaller-rainbows-to-get-at-the-big/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/you-might-have-to-go-through-some-smaller-rainbows-to-get-at-the-big/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```