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Honesty with ourselves & others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.

Bill W.

We know that permanent sobriety can be attained only by a most revolutionary change in the life and outlook of the individual.
BILL W.

Individual Revolutionary Sobriety
You are asking yourself, as all of us must: ‘Who am I?’ . . . ‘Where am I?’ . . . ‘Whence do I go?’ The process of enlightenment is usually slow. But, in the end, our seeking always brings a finding. These great mysteries are, after all, enshrined in complete simplicity.
BILL W.

Asking End Enlightenment Simplicity
If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. As it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life – the one that did not work – for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever.
BILL W.

Awakening New One Received Work
Apparently, the course of relative humility and progress will have to lie somewhere between these extremes. In our slow progress away from rebellion, true perfection is doubtless several millennia away
BILL W.

Double Extreme Perfection Reflection Relative Somewhere
Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning; it is only the first gift of the first awakening.
BILL W.

Awakening Sobriety Spiritual
Regardless of what is happening around me I will always have the prerogative, and the responsibility, of choosing what happens within me.
BILL W.

Around Choosing Happen Happening Responsibility
The temporary good is enemy to the permanent best.
BILL W.

Enemy Permanent Temporary
Almost without exception alcoholics are tortured by loneliness.
BILL W.

Alcoholic Exception Loneliness
True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the profound desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God.
BILL W.

Ambition Grace Profound
How dark it is before the dawn! In reality that was the beginning of my last debauch.
BILL W.

Dark Dawn Reality
Honesty with ourselves & others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
BILL W.

Honesty Tolerance Way
We lose the fear of making decisions, great and small; as we realize that should our choice prove wrong we can, if we will, learn from the experience.
BILL W.

Choices Inspirational Recovery
Seeing is believing to most families who have lived with a drinker.
BILL W.

Alcohol Believe Humor
In the wake of my spiritual experience there came a vision of a society of alcoholics.
BILL W.

Alcoholics Spiritual Vision
No personal calamity is so crushing that something true and great can’t be made of it
BILL W.

Calamity Crush Made
We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired.
BILL W.

Convince Desire Way
Indecision with the passing of time becomes decision.
BILL W.

Decision Passing Wisdom
In God’s economy, nothing is wasted. Through failure, we learn a lesson in humility which is probably needed, painful though it is.
BILL W.

Humility Inspirational Recovery
Because of our kinship in suffering, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart.
BILL W.

Heart Language Suffering
Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us.
BILL W.

Meditation Prayer Rewards
When brimming with gratitude, one’s heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion we can ever know.
BILL W.

Brimming Emotion Gratitude Outgoing
Years ago I used to commiserate with all people who suffered. Now I commiserate only with those who suffer in ignorance, who do not understand the purpose and ultimate utility of pain
BILL W.

Ignorance Pain Years
Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership, and brotherhood with all men and women, of whatever description, is a moving and fascinating adventure.
BILL W.

Adventure Men Moving
No matter how unreasonable others may seem, I am responsible for not reacting negatively.
BILL W.

Heart Responsibility Teacher
AA is no success story in the ordinary sense of the word. It is a story of suffering transmuted, under grace, into spiritual progress.
BILL W.

Grace Spiritual Suffering
If I judge others, I am probably judging myself. Whoever is upsetting me most is my best teacher. I have much to learn from him or her, and in my hearts, I should thank that person.
BILL W.

Heart Person Probably Teacher Thank
I have become a pupil of the AA movement rather than the teacher.
BILL W.

Movement Pupils Teacher

Honesty with ourselves & others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.

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Honesty with ourselves & others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.

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