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“We are privileged to communicate with each other to a degree and in a manner not very often surpassed among our nonalcoholic friends in the world around us.”

“Nobody argued about whose Higher Power was higher.”

“Forgiveness seems to depend more on the love of the one who does the forgiving than on the lovability of the one being forgiven.”

“Many ask ‘What is anonymity?’ and ‘What is humility?’ To me, they are almost the same thing. They are devoid of prestige; they demand nothing; they don’t ask to be ‘right’; they simply suggest that the icy egocentric elements in all of us retire into the background and that we wear the warm cloak of anonymity and humility and therefore, spirituality.”

“In examining the precision and aptness of the small, I can be more appreciative of the large.”

“Often in the past, my prayers for help have been answered in ways that I have not recognized as answers. Indeed, I have cursed my fate instead of thanking God.”

“As a fellowship we ask nothing of wealth or power.”

“Sober now, there was this tug at my heart, the love of one alcoholic for another.”

“Concerning any given service, we pose but one question: ‘Is this service really needed?’ If it is, then maintain it we must, or fail in our mission to those who seek AA.”

“As with all things in life, there is growth and growth brings change. One thing remains constant: Sobriety is a gift, a treasure to be cherished.”

“Ours is a Fellowship of suggestions and not demands. In my thirty-five years, I have found answers for me but have not acquired the ability to live another person’s life.”

“The only way I ever found to displace a thought was to put another thought in its stead.”

“The temporary or seeming good can often be the deadly enemy of the permanent best.”

“No generation is a carbon copy of the previous one ... Young people in the meetings today are in many respects luckier: They have learned more in less time. If they seem to dwell at length on how they are feeling at the moment, it doesn’t mean they are less dedicated to stopping drinking one day at a time and practicing the Steps of the program. Nor does less shame, brought about by less stigma, mean less dedication.”

“An old-timer spoke about the danger of becoming complacent and explained the need for the Steps in her life. ‘The way I see it,’ she said, ‘I might have gotten the monkey off my back, but the circus is still in town.’”