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“I was amazed at the things I was grateful for: those painful situations that served to show me my character defects; the ability to accept and share my pain with others; the opportunities to do things I was afraid to do which gave me strength and confidence.”

“To be happily sober, we must be active -- and this does not necessarily mean group activity. The Loner is part of a much larger group of people in far distant places, all members of AA with the same problems, fears, and happiness to be shared ... I may not be in face-to-face contact with other AA members, but my real friends in AA are too many to enumerate, and I find there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all I should.”

“Recovery is giving it away. If you don’t give it away you can’t have it ... Be part of the pipeline.”

“Difficult times bring us to new degrees of acceptance and humility because we learn on a deeper level how close we really are to our next drink. If we hang on, we learn how the grace of the Fellowship and the principles of the program carry us through the tough spots as well as the times of joy.”

“I began to find ... a more centered, purposeful life, at least in the sense that my body, mind, emotions, and soul were all more or less heading in the same direction. I was riding one horse instead of four.”

“God grant that AA may ever stay simple.”

“Today’s disappointment, viewed six months hence, may turn out to be one of the best breaks we ever got.”

“Coincidences are merely a manner in which God protects his anonymity.”

“My desire to drink became a desire not to.”

“We shall always have to deal with the fearful forces which are released when the human ego runs amok -- the same forces that are shattering the world of our time.  Deliver us from temptation must therefore continue to be a prime ingredient of our every attitude, practice, and prayer.”

“By helping to insure the sobriety of others to come, we insure our own sobriety today.”

“Sincerity of purpose, humility in the knowledge of our own power to help, and confidence in our understanding of our capacities in AA are likely to help in working with others.”

“I try to accept reality instead of trying to control it. When I make that adjustment, the struggle ends.”

“Genuine peace will always be a chief ingredient of AA’s freedom. But let none suppose that we shrink from major conflict only because we are afraid. Nowadays we believe we keep the peace because we love each other.”

“Perhaps for some, ‘How It Work’ has become a tired, overworked bit of dogma, an opportunity to daydream. But not for this alcoholic. I get more out of those words with each passing day. The words don’t change, but I do.”