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"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."

"Instead of looking backward into the dreariness of my past, I'm looking forward to a bright future because I've finally taken responsibility for my life."

"Not to change is not to adapt; not to adapt is to become extinct."

"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."

"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."