Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.

The saying reframes “success” as resilience rather than uninterrupted achievement. By picturing a fall to “bottom,” it assumes setbacks are inevitable; what matters is the rebound—how quickly and how far one recovers, adapts, and returns to purposeful action. The metaphor also implies that adversity can become a measure of character and capability, since the bounce depends on inner toughness, discipline, and support systems. In leadership terms, it encourages judging people (and oneself) by response to failure—learning, regrouping, and persisting—rather than by avoiding mistakes or maintaining appearances. Its appeal lies in its blunt, motivational clarity and its compatibility with military and athletic ideals of grit.