“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom”

General George Smith Patton, Jr.  (1995-1945) was known as “America’s Fightingest General” for his role in World War II. The movie Patton (1970) brought attention to his life and his writings. I Remember General Patton’s Principles (1979), by Porter B. Williamson, contained:
 
“When I fail he tells me, ‘The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.’”
 
“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom” has not been found in print in any publication during Patton’s lifetime. The quotation’s authenticity depends entirely on Williamson’s work.
 
 
Wikipedia: George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army best known for his command of the Seventh United States Army, and later the Third United States Army, in the European Theater of World War II.
 
Google Books
I Remember General Patton’s Principles
By Porter B. Williamson
Tucson, AZ: Management and Systems Consultants
1979
Pg. 9:
When I fail he tells me, “The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
 
Google Books
Playing to Win:
Fran Tarkenton’s Strategies for Business Success
By Fran Tarkenton
New York, NY: Bantam Books
1985
Pg. 59:
“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
       
27 March 1987, Daily News of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), “Arrest ruled improper in psychic case”:
However, Smith, was heard to say: “Success is how high you bounce after you hit bottom.”
 
8 June 1988, Rockmart (GA) Journal, “Chamber Of Commerce to hear Secretary Cleland,” pg. 3A, col. 1:
Another one of his heroes, General George Patton, gave him one of his favorite quotes: “Success is how high you bounce after you hit bottom.”
 
Google Books
Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes:
Wit and wisdom for all occasions from America’s most popular magazine
By Reader’s Digest Association
Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest
1997
Pg. 172:
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. — GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON