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“Alone in the town, I was scared to death of getting drunk. I was no longer a teacher or a preacher, I was an alcoholic who knew that he needed another alcoholic, as much as that one could possibly need me. Driven by that urge, I was soon face to face with Dr. Bob.”

“Not all of the problems created during the days when I hid in the fog of booze have straightened out, but I now have enough courage to face them squarely.”

“A coffeepot simmers on the kitchen stove, a hospital sobers the stricken sufferer, general headquarters broadcasts the AA message ... All these symbolize AA in action. For action is the magic word of Alcoholics Anonymous.”

“Those who follow the AA program with the greatest earnestness and zeal not only maintain sobriety but often acquire finer characteristics and attitudes as well. One of these is tolerance.”

“The things that used to keep me awake nights now no longer bother me, because I can put them against the backdrop of eternity. The long, lonely winter that was alcoholism has turned into spring – the rebirth, the renewal of my life.”

“I don’t stand around on street corners just loving everybody today. But in an AA meeting or any AA gathering, I know I am in the kind of community of love that every therapy, religion, and philosophy desperately seeks. Love is our glue.”

“I can now admit that most of my troubles stem from one large and glaring defect: self-centeredness.”

“A good question to ask myself frequently is: What am I looking for – advice or approval?”

“We in AA talk about crossing the invisible line into our alcoholism. What about crossing the invisible line into the program of Alcoholics Anonymous?”

“I knew I needed the alcoholic as much as he needed me ... And this mutual give-and-take is at the very heart of all of AA's Twelfth Step work today. This was how to carry the message. The final missing link was located right there in my first talk with Dr. Bob.”

“I have learned through crises and through joy.”

“Nothing seems to help me more than being reminded where I came from, and the kind of person I used to be while under the influence of alcohol -- that sad, fearful, undependable sort of person I will become again, unless I start to focus on my needs instead of my wants.”

“Even in self-protection, we do not wish to erect the slightest barrier between ourselves and the fellow alcoholic who still suffers. We know that society has been demanding that he conform to its laws and conventions. But the essence of his alcoholic malady is the fact that he has been unable or unwilling to conform either to the laws of man or God. If he is anything, the sick alcoholic is a rebellious nonconformist. How well we understand that.”

“Today I can look upon myself and others with understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and love ... Recovery is a wonderland.”

“From the cradle to the grave there is always something wrong somewhere, something to rob us of enjoying perfection, something to bother us. When we put one thing right, another will surely go wrong sooner or later. So it behooves us to enjoy every minute we can, for a minute lost is a minute gone forever.”