Those who face that which is actually before them, unburdened by the past, undistracted by the future, these are they who live, who make the best use of their lives; these are those who have found the secret of contentment.

When you want to believe in something, you also have to believe in everything that's necessary for believing in it.

Try not.
Do.
Or, do not.
There is no try.

Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.

Alcoholism is the only illness in the human species that tears families apart.  Most other life-threatening diseases bring the family together.

Seek wisdom, not knowledge.
Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future.

Courage will come to you.  Just start with a simple

• Never miss the unknown.
• Always choose the unknown and go headlong.
• Even if you suffer, it is worth it – it always pays.
• You always come out of it more grown up, more mature, more intelligent.

P 25:2 The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.

P 164:2 See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.

Basically courage is risking the known for the unknown, the familiar for the unfamiliar, the comfortable for the uncomfortable, arduous pilgrimage to some unknown destination. One never knows whether one will be able to make it or not. It is gambling, but only the gamblers know what life is.

To live dangerously means to live life as if each moment is its own end. Each moment has its own intrinsic value, and you are not afraid. You know death is there, and you accept the fact that death is there, and you are not hiding against death. In fact, you go and encounter death.  You enjoy those moments of encountering death – physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

• "Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong about his facts."
• "To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am."
• "We did not all come over on the same ship, but we are all in the same boat."
• "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
• "If you get all the facts, your judgment can be right. If you don't get all the facts, it can't be right."
• "There are no such things as incurable, there are only things for which man has not found a cure." - Speech on April 30, 1954
• "I'm not smart. I try to observe. Millions saw the apple fall but Newton was the one who asked why." -New York Post (June 24, 1965)
• "We can't cross that bridge until we come to it, but I always like to lay down a pontoon ahead of time."
• "The main purpose of the stock market is to make fools of as many men as possible."
• "A speculator is a man who observes the future, and acts before it occurs."

"Life gets simpler as you run out of options."

I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details.

Many who come into A.A. are not, nor can they be, classified as alcoholics. Clarence always said that, "Every alcoholic is a drunk, but not every drunk is an alcoholic."

It was up to the prospective member and his sponsor to determine whether or not the prospect was indeed an alcoholic, or just someone who drank to excess.