It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

Howard Ruff (1936–2016) was an American financial writer and preparedness advocate best known for popularizing “hard-times” investing and self-reliance during the inflationary 1970s and early 1980s. The line “It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark” circulated widely in that milieu as a pithy admonition to prepare before a crisis is obvious—whether the crisis is economic (inflation, recession, currency instability) or practical (shortages, emergencies). Ruff used biblical allusion frequently to frame preparedness as prudent rather than alarmist, urging readers to take preventative steps while conditions still seem normal.

The aphorism argues for anticipatory action: meaningful preparation happens before warning signs become undeniable. By invoking Noah, it contrasts foresight with the human tendency to delay until discomfort forces change. The ark is a metaphor for any long-term safeguard—savings, insurance, skills, supplies, or institutional resilience—that requires time and effort to build. The quote’s force lies in its reversal of common procrastination logic: waiting for “rain” is precisely what makes preparation too late or too costly. It also implies that skepticism from others is not a reliable guide; prudent planning often looks unnecessary right up until it proves essential.