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“If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God’s help, continually surrender these hobbling liabilities.”

“You never know until you go out to meet it what any given day is going to be, but the way you go to meet it surely makes a difference.”

“I have had to face my past, one episode at a time, and become willing to look at the truth. I could feel the pain and fear, like trolls under the bridge, waiting to jump out and challenge my self-esteem.”

“I have never mastered the art of self-sponsorship, and I doubt that I ever will.”

“The whole world became mine when I had nowhere else to go.”

“One of the truly great gifts in this Fellowship of mutually concerned people is the gift of the art of listening.”

“There are no shibboleths in AA. We are not bound by theological doctrine ... We are many minds in our organization.”

“After endless voting on a title for the new work we had decided to call it The Way Out. But inquiry by Fritz M., our Maryland alcoholic, at The Library of Congress disclosed the fact that 12 books already bore that title. Surely we couldn't make our book the 13th. So we named it Alcoholics Anonymous instead! Though we didn't know it, our movement then got its name -- a name which because of the implication of humility and modesty has given us our treasured spiritual principle of anonymity.”

“It doesn’t matter too much how the transforming spiritual experience is brought about so long as one gets one that works ... Somehow the alcoholic must get enough objectivity about himself to abate his fears and collapse his false pride.”

“I can make any decision about my behavior and life, as long as I am prepared to deal with the consequences. I can decide to get drunk every night if I want to take the consequences ... Or I can decide to stay sober another day, and enjoy the consequences of that decision -- being able to deal realistically with another day in my life.”

“Until I understood and accepted my status as a human being, my effort toward seeking God was in vain.”

“Nothing improves if you drink.”

“The unique ability of each AA to identify himself with, and bring recovery to, the newcomer in no way depends upon his learning, eloquence, or on any special individual skills. The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety.”

“Let today's troubles be sufficient to today.”

“Let us remember that great legion who still suffer from alcoholism and who are still without hope. Let us, at any cost or sacrifice, so improve our communication with all these that they may find what we have found – a new life of freedom under God.’”