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“Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin.”

“We must never be blindsided by the futile philosophy that we are just the hapless victims of our inheritance, our life experience, and our surroundings—that these are the sole forces that make our decisions for us ... We have to believe that we can really choose.”

“I no longer view the dishes as an unpleasant task. I see them as an opportunity to meditate ... I concentrate on washing the dishes and not on what I’m going to do next. The most important thing is what’s in front of me—now.”

“The history of AA shows that whenever a great need arises, that need is always met. In this respect, I’m quite sure that our history will go on repeating itself.”

“Since personal calamity holds us in bondage no more, our most challenging concern has become the future of Alcoholics Anonymous; how to preserve among us AAs such a powerful unity that neither weakness of persons nor the strain and strife of these troubled times can harm our common cause.”

“Responsibility is a gift; and although we are not obliged to receive it, we will never come to know the peace, assurance, and love of a vital sobriety until we do.”

“Not drinking is the first requirement for joy; the second requirement is gratitude."

“Only in giving do we receive in full measure.”

“I have begun to trust my friends enough to lean on them.”

“The world of truth is the world of what is. It is the room I sit in, the sleeping kitten, the job that must be done. It is here. It is now.”

“Emotional and instinctual satisfactions, I saw, were really the extra dividends of having love, offering love, and expressing love appropriate to each relation of life.”

“No matter what is going on in my life, no matter how bad things seem, I can always find something to be grateful for if I just look hard enough.”

“I’m not here to change Alcoholics Anonymous; Alcoholics Anonymous is here to change me.”

“If we follow our Traditions, we will survive and, I hope, grow. The Traditions tell us to serve—not govern; to attract—not promote; to carry the message—not force it on anyone; to keep the three legacies alive: recovery, unity, and service. These are our lifelines.”

“Last summer I visited the Akron cemetery where Bob and Anne lie. Their simple stone says never a word about Alcoholics Anonymous. This made me so glad I cried.”