“Success is outliving your failures”

“Success is outliving your failures” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been credited to American humorist Erma Bombeck (1927-1996), but it’s uncertain when she said it.
 
‘Success,’ said Erma (Bombeck—ed.) firmly, ‘is outliving your failures.’ She planned to do just that” was printed in the book Barbara Bush, first lady (1991) by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden. “What is that definition of success? It’s outliving your failures. These people don’t let failure defeat them” (Spoken by Shirley Simpson, talking about her performance as Erma Bombeck.—ed.) was printed in The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS) on October 31, 2006. “Success is outliving your failures” was posted on Twitter by HODGEPODGE on December 3, 2009. “‘Success is outliving your failures’ Erma Bombeck” was posted on Twitter by Alexis Avila on March 30, 2012.
 
   
Google Books
Barbara Bush, first lady
By Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden
Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers
1991
Pg. 56:
“Success,” said Erma (Bombeck—ed.) firmly, “is outliving your failures.” She planned to do just that.
   
31 October 2006, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), “‘If you can’t change it, laugh about it’; Erma Bombeck graces stage” by Sherry Lucas, pg. 3D, col. 5:
“What is that definition of success? It’s outliving your failures. These people don’t let failure defeat them.”
(Spoken by Shirley Simpson, talking about her performance as Erma Bombeck.—ed.)
     
Twitter
HODGEPODGE
@wehodgepodge
Success is outliving your failures.
10:10 PM - 3 Dec 2009
         
Twitter
Alexis Avila
@PreppedPolished
“Success is outliving your failures” Erma Bombeck
3:40 PM - 30 Mar 2012
 
Twitter
Lauren Thomas Ewing
@LaurenTEwing
Success is not allowing your failures to outlive the lessons you learned from them. #motivation #onwardandupward #lifegoals
11:26 AM - 28 Apr 2016
 
Twitter
thriveology
@thriveology
Sometimes, success is just outliving the failures. Pushing on past the defeats. Many quit just before the breakthrough. So outlive and outlast the stops and stalls. http://ift.tt/2zZMXJN
8:38 PM - 3 Dec 2017
 
Twitter
PhoenixRising
@nicratwoman
Success is outliving your failures
Erma Bombeck
5:21 PM - 12 May 2018