64 Twelve & Twelve p-79
        Some of us clung to the claim that when drinking we never hurt anybody but
ourselves. Our families did not suffer, because we always paid the bills & seldom
drank at home. Our business associates did not suffer, because we were usually on the
job. Our reputations did not suffer, because we were certain few knew of our drinking.
Those who did would sometimes assure us that, after all a lively bender was only a
good man's fault. What real harm, therefore, had we done? No more, surely, than we
could easily mend with a few casual apologies.

        This attitude, of course, is the end result of purposeful forgetting. It is an attitude
which can be changed only by a deep & honest search of our motives & actions.
       
65 A.A. Comes Of Age p-231
        In the years ahead A.A. will, of course, make mistakes. Experience has taught us
that we need have no fear of doing this, providing that we always remain willing to
admit our faults & to correct them promptly. Our growth as individuals has depended
upon this healthy process of trial & error. So will our growth as a fellowship.

        Let us always remember that any society of men & women that cannot freely
correct its own faults must surely fall into decay if not into collapse. Such is the
universal penalty for the failure to go on growing. Just as each A.A. must continue to
take his moral inventory & act upon it, so must our whole Society if we are to survive
& if we are to serve usefully & well.
       
66 Twelve & Twelve p-75
        Whether we had been believers or unbelievers, we began to get over the idea that
the Higher Power was a sort of bush-league pinch hitter, to be called upon only in an
emergency.

        The notion that we would still live our own lives, God helping a little now &
then, began to evaporate. Many of us who had thought ourselves religious awoke to the
limitations of this attitude. Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of
His help.

        But now the words "Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works" began to
carry bright promise & meaning.
    
67 letter 1945
        While I thank God that I was privileged to be an early member of A.A., I honestly
wish that the "founder" could be eliminated from the A.A. vocabulary. When you get
right down to it, everyone who has done any amount of successful Twelfth Step work is
bound to be the founder of a new life for other alcoholics.
       
67 letter 1966
        A.A. was not invented! Its basics were brought to us through the experience &
wisdom of many great friends. We simply borrowed & adapted their ideas.
       
67 letter 1966
        Thankfully, we have accepted the devoted services of many non-alcoholics. We
owe our very lives to the men & women of medicine & religion. &, speaking for
Dr. Bob & myself, I gratefully declare that had it not been for our wives, Anne &
Lois, neither of us could have lived to see A.A.'s beginning.
       
68 letter 1958
        Though I know how hurt & sorry you must be after this slip, please do not worry
about a temporary loss of your inner peace. As calmly as you can just renew your effort
on the A.A. program, especially those parts of it which have to do with meditation &
self-analysis.

        Could I also suggest that you look at excessive guilt for what it is? Nothing but a
sort of reverse pride. A decent regret for what has happened is fine. But guilt - no.

        Indeed, the slip could well have been brought about by unreasonable feelings of
guilt because of other moral failures, so called. Surely, you ought to look into this
possibility. Even here you should not blame yourself for failure; you can be penalized
only for refusing to try for better things.
       
69 Grapevine January 1959
        Watch any A.A. of six months working with a Twelfth Step prospect. If the
newcomer says. "To the devil with you," the twelfth stepper only smiles & finds
another alcoholic to help. He does not feel frustrated or rejected. If his next drunk
responds, & in turn starts to give love & attention to other sufferers, yet gives none
back to him, the sponsor is happy about it anyway. He still does not feel rejected;
instead he rejoices that his former prospect is sober & happy.

        And he well knows that his own life has been made richer, as an extra dividend of
giving to another without any demand for a return.
     
70 Grapevine August 1961
        How truth makes us free is something that we A.A.'s can well understand. It cut
the shackles that once bound us to alcohol. It continues to release us from conflicts &
miseries beyond reckoning; it banishes fear & isolation The unity of our Fellowship,
the love we cherish for each other, the esteem in which the world holds us - all of these
are products of the truth which, under God, we have been privileged to perceive.
       
70 Grapevine August 1961
        Just how & when we tell the truth - or keep silent - can often reveal the
difference between genuine integrity & none at all.

        Step nine emphatically cautions us against misusing the truth when it states: " We
made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would
injure them or others." Because it points up the fact that the truth can be used to injure
as well as to heal. This valuable principle certainly has a wide-ranging application to
the problem of developing integrity.
      
71 Grapevine January 1962
        On the day that the calamity of Pearl Harbor fell upon our country, a great friend
of A.A. was walking along a St. Louis street. Father Edward Dowling was not an
alcoholic but he had been one of the founders of the struggling A.A. group in his city.
Because many of his usually sober friends had already taken to their bottles that they
might blot out the implications of the Pearl Harbor disaster, Father Ed was anguished
by the thought that his cherished A.A. group would probably do the same.

        Then a member, sober less than a year, stepped alongside & engaged Father Ed
in a spirited conversation - mostly about A.A. Father Ed saw with relief, that his
companion was perfectly sober.

        How is it that you have nothing to say about Pearl Harbor? How can you roll with
a punch like that?

        "Well", replied the yearling, "each of us in A.A. has already had his own private
Pearl Harbor. So why should we drunks crack up over this one?"
      
72 letter 1966
        Nothing can be more demoralizing than a clinging & abject dependence upon
another human being. This often amounts to the demand for a degree of protection &
love that no one could possibly satisfy. So our hoped for protectors finally flee, &
once more we are left alone - either to grow up or to disintegrate.
      
72 Twelve & Twelve p-116
        We discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself.
We found that dependence upon His perfect justice, forgiveness, & love was healthy,
& that it would work where nothing else would.

        If we really depended upon God, we could not very well play God to our fellows,
nor would we feel the urge to rely wholly on human protection & care.
      
73 letter 1950
        Your point of view was once mine. Fortunately, A.A. is constructed so that we
need not debate the existence of God; but for best results, most of us must depend upon
a Higher Power. You say the group is your Higher Power, & no right-minded A.A.
would challenge your privilege to believe precisely that way. We should all be glad that
good recoveries can be made even on this limited basis.

        But turnabout is fair play. If you would expect tolerance for your point of view, I
am sure you would be willing to reciprocate. I try to remember that, down through the
centuries, lots of brighter people than I have been found on both sides of this debate
about belief. For myself, of late years, I am finding it much easier to believe that God
made man than that man made God.
      
74 Twelve & Twelve p-46
        People who are driven by pride of self unconsciously blind themselves to their
liabilities. Newcomers of this sort scarcely need comforting. The problem is to help
them discover a chink in the walls their ego has built, through which the light of reason
can shine.
      
74 Twelve & Twelve p-70
        The attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of A.A.'s
Twelve Steps. For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all.

        Nearly all A.A.s have found, too, that unless they develop much more of this
precious quality than may be required just for sobriety, they still haven't much chance
of becoming truly happy. Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in
adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency.
       
75 Twelve & Twelve p-121/122
        When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an
opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence
looked more important than a right dependence upon God, we were the victims of
unreasonable fears. & these were fears which would make a serene & useful
existence, at any financial level, quite impossible.

        But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could
lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully
perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances
happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned
that these troubles could be turned into great values, for ourselves & for others.
      
76 letter 1966
        Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from
dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish
dependence to adult responsibility - all this & infinitely more represent change for the
better.

        Such changes are accomplished by a belief in & a practice of sound principles.
Here we must needs discard bad or ineffective principles in favor of good ones that
work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better
ones.
        Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is.
       
77 Alcoholic Anonymous p-101/102
        Usually, we do not avoid a place where there is drinking - if we have a legitimate
reason for being there. That includes bars, nightclubs, dances, receptions, weddings,
even plain ordinary parties.

        You will note that we made an important qualification. Therefore ask yourself,
"Have I any good social, business, or personal reason for going to this place? Or am I
expecting to steal a little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere?" Then go or stay
away, whichever seems better. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you
start & that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Do not think of what you will
get out of the occasion. Think of what you can bring to it.

        If you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead!
      
78 Twelve & Twelve p-102/103
        During the day, we can pause where situations must be met & decisions made,
& renew the simple request "thy will, not mine, be done"

        If at these points our emotional disturbance happens to be great, we will more
surely keep our balance provided we remember, & repeat to ourselves, a particular
prayer or phrase that has appealed to us in our reading or meditation. Just saying it over
& over will often enable us to return to the surest help of all - Our search for God's
will, not our own, in the moment of stress.
      
79 letter 1966
        An A.A. group, as such, cannot take on all the personal problems of its members,
let alone those of nonalcoholics in the world around us. The A.A. group is not, for
example, a mediator of domestic relations, nor does it furnish personal financial aid to
anyone.
        Though a member may sometimes be helped in such matters by his friends in
A.A., the primary responsibility for the solutions of all his problems of living &
growing rests squarely upon the individual himself. Should an A.A. group attempt this
sort of help, its effectiveness & energies would be hopelessly dissipated.

        This is why sobriety - freedom from alcohol - through the teaching & practice of
A.A.'s Twelve Steps, is the sole purpose of the group. If we don't stick to this cardinal
principle, we shall almost certainly collapse. & if we collapse we cannot help anyone.
       
80 Grapevine August 1961
        Following a gossip binge, we can well ask ourselves these questions: "Why did we
say what we did? Were we only trying to be helpful & informative? Or were we not
trying to feel superior by confessing the other fellow's sins? Or because of fear &
dislike, were we not really aiming to damage him?"

        This would be an honest attempt to examine ourselves, rather than the other
fellow.
       
80 Twelve & Twelve p-93
        Inventory taking is not always done in red ink. It is a poor day indeed when we
have not done something right. As a matter of fact, the waking hours are usually well
filled with things that are constructive. Good intentions, good thoughts, & good acts
are there for us to see.

        Even when we have tried hard & failed, we may chalk that up as one of the
greatest credits of all.
       
81 letter 1966
        I can see why you are disturbed to hear some A.A. speakers say, "A.A. is a selfish
program" The word "selfish" ordinarily implies that one is acquisitive, demanding, &
thoughtless of the welfare of others. Of course, the A.A. way of life does not at all
imply such undesirable traits.

        What do these speakers mean? Well, any theologian will tell you that the salvation
of his own soul is the highest vocation that a man can have. Without salvation -
however we may define this - he will have little or nothing. For us of A.A. there is even
more urgency.

        If we cannot or will not achieve sobriety, then we become truly lost, right in the
here & now. We are of no value to anyone, including ourselves, until we find
salvation from alcohol. Therefore, our own recovery & spiritual growth have to come
first - a right & necessary kind of self-concern.
     
82 talk 1958
        I think that this particular General Service Conference holds promise & has been
filled with progress - because it has had trouble. And it has converted that trouble into
an asset, into some growth, & into a great promise.

        A.A. was born out of trouble, one of the most serious kinds of trouble that can
befall an individual, the trouble attendant upon this dark & fatal malady of
alcoholism. Every single one of us approached A.A. in trouble, in impossible trouble, in
hopeless trouble. & that is why we came.

        If this Conference was ruffled, if individuals were deeply disturbed - I say, "This is
fine." What parliament, what republic, what democracy has not been disturbed?
Friction of opposing viewpoints is the very modus operandi on which they proceed.
Then what should we be afraid of?"
      
83 Twelve & Twelve p-55
        All of A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires; they all
deflated our egos. When it comes to ego deflation, few steps are harder to take than the
fifth. Scarcely any step is more necessary to long time sobriety & peace of mind.

        A.A. experience has taught us we cannot live alone with our pressing problems
& the character defects which cause or aggravate them. If step four has revealed in
stark relief those experiences we would rather not remember, then the need to quit
living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than
ever. We have to talk to somebody about them.
       
83 Grapevine August 1961
        We cannot wholly rely on friends to solve all our difficulties. A good adviser will
never do all our thinking for us. He knows that each final choice must be ours. He will
therefore help to eliminate fear, expediency, & self-deception, so enabling us to make
choices which are loving, wise, & honest
       
84 letter 1960
        Happily, A.A.'s per capita expenses are very low. For us to fail to meet them
would be to evade a responsibility beneficial for us.

        Most alcoholics have said they had no troubles that money would not cure. We are
a group that, when drinking, always held out a hand for funds. So when we commence
to pay our own service bills, this is a healthy change.
      
84  letter 1966
        Because of drinking, my friend Henry had lost a high salaried job. There remained
a fine house - with a budget three times his reduced earnings.

        He could have rented the house for enough to carry it. But no! Henry said he knew
that God wanted him to live there, & He would see that the costs were paid. So Henry
went on running up bills & glowing with faith. Not surprisingly his creditors finally
took over the place. Henry can laugh about it now, having learned that God more often
helps those who are willing to help themselves.
       
85 Twelve & Twelve  p-106/107
        When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of
it is that he has now become able to do, feel & believe that which he could not do
before on his unaided strength & resources alone. He has been granted a gift which
amounts to a new state of consciousness & being.

        He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is
not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has
been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he has hitherto
denied himself.
     
86 Grapevine February 1961
        We have come to believe that A.A.'s recovery steps & traditions represent the
approximate truths which we need for our particular purpose. The more we practice
them, the more we like them. So there is little doubt that A.A. principles will continue
to be advocated in the form they stand now.

        If our basics are so firmly fixed as all this, then what is there left to change or to
improve?
        The answer will immediately occur to us. While we need not alter our truths, we
can surely improve their application to ourselves, to A.A. as a whole, & to our
relation with the world around us. We can constantly step up the practice of "THESE
PRINCIPLES IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS"
      
87 Alcoholic Anonymous p-48
        Faced with alcoholic destruction, we became open minded on spiritual matters. In
this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of
reasonableness.
     
87 Alcoholics Anonymous p-62
        We had to quit playing God. It did not work. We decided that hereafter, in this
drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He would be the Principal; we, His
agents.

        Most good ideas are simple & the concept was the keystone of the new triumphal
arch through which we passed to freedom.
       
88 letter 1966
        We A.A.s know the futility of trying to break the drinking obsession by will power
alone. However, we do know that it takes great willingness to adopt A.A.'s twelve steps
as a way of life that can restore us to sanity.

        No matter how grievous the alcohol obsession, we happily find that other vital
choices can still be made. For example, we can choose to admit that we are personally
powerless over alcohol; that dependence upon a "Higher Power" is a necessity, even if
this be simply dependence upon an "A.A. group. Then we can choose to try for a life of
honesty & humility, of selfless service to our fellows & to God as we understand
Him.
        As we continue to make these choices & so move toward these high aspirations,
our sanity returns & the compulsion to drink vanishes
     
89 Alcoholics Anonymous p-86
        When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful,
selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to
ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind &
loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves
most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we
could pack into the stream of life?

        We must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection, for that
would diminish our usefulness to ourselves & to others. After making our review, we
ask God's forgiveness & inquire what corrective measures should be taken
      
90 Twelve & Twelve p-57
        Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by loneliness.
Even before our drinking got bad & people began to cut us off, nearly all of us
suffered the feeling that we did not quite belong. Either we were shy, & dared not
draw near others, or we were noisy good fellows constantly craving attention &
companionship, but rarely getting it.

There was always that mysterious barrier we could neither surmount nor understand.
        That is one reason we loved alcohol too well. But even Bacchus betrayed us; we
were finally struck down & left in terrified isolation.
       
90 Alcoholic Anonymous  p-89
        Life takes on new meaning in A.A.. To watch people recover, to see them help
others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host
of friends - this is an experience not to be missed.
       
91 Grapevine 1962
        When fear persisted, we knew it for what it was, & we became able to handle it.
We began to see each adversity as a God given opportunity to develop the kind of
courage which is born of humility, rather than of bravado.
       
91 Twelve Concepts p-63
        Prudence is a workable middle ground, a channel of clear sailing between the
obstacles of fear on the one side & of recklessness on the other. Prudence in practice
creates a definite climate, the only climate in which harmony, effectiveness, &
consistent spiritual progress can be achieved.
       
91 talk 1966
        Prudence is rational concern without worry.
 

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