Quotes:

"Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats." - Amos Bronson Alcott

"We climb to heaven most often on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were successes." - Amos Bronson Alcott

"If at first you don't succeed; you are running about average." - M. H. Alderson

"For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?" - James Allen

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." - Woody Allen

"It's simply a matter of doing what you do best and not worrying about what the other fellow is going to do." - John R. Amos

simple depiction of success in the form of an equation

hardwork + an ounce of luck= success

In layman's language, success is achivement. If you set a goal, does hard work to achieve that goal. When you achieve that goal, that can be termed as success.