Nothing recedes like success.

Walter Winchell (1897–1972) was a hugely influential American newspaper columnist and radio commentator whose punchy, epigrammatic one-liners became part of his public persona in the 1930s–1950s. The remark “Nothing recedes like success” fits Winchell’s recurring theme that fame and public favor are volatile: today’s celebrated figure can quickly become yesterday’s news. In the entertainment-and-politics milieu Winchell covered, reputations rose and fell at high speed, and “success” often proved temporary—especially once novelty faded or a new scandal or star displaced the old.

The line suggests that success is uniquely prone to slipping away: it “recedes” faster than other conditions because it depends on external attention, continued performance, and shifting public taste. Winchell implies that triumph is not a stable possession but a moving target—once achieved, it can diminish through complacency, envy, changing fashions, or the simple passage of time. The aphorism carries a cautionary edge: treat acclaim as transient, avoid overconfidence, and recognize that the world’s spotlight moves on. It also hints at the psychological experience of success: the moment you reach it, it can already feel as though it is retreating.