Bill W. (William Griffith Wilson), co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), is known for his wisdom on recovery, spirituality, and human nature. Although he didn’t create many standalone “famous quotes,” his thoughts and ideas, especially from AA literature like *The Big Book* and *Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions*, have had a profound impact. Here are 25 quotes attributed to Bill W.:
1. “When I am willing to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences, I find my peace.”
2. “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
3. “We must always remember that we are dealing with alcohol—cunning, baffling, powerful!”
4. “We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect.”
5. “Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish.”
6. “The principles we have set down are guides to progress.”
7. “We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results.”
8. “Resentment is the number one offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else.”
9. “Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.”
10. “God either is, or He isn’t. What was our choice to be?”
11. “We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines.”
12. “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.”
13. “There is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible.”
14. “It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us.”
15. “There is no easier, softer way. We sought it, but we could not find it.”
16. “For when harboring such feelings, we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit.”
17. “The past is a resource to be used, not a ball and chain to drag around.”
18. “I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”
19. “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.”
20. “Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.”
21. “Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now.”
22. “We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.”
23. “Humility is perpetual quietness of heart.”
24. “The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us.”
25. “Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery.”
These quotes reflect the deep spiritual and practical wisdom shared by Bill W. within the framework of AA and recovery from addiction.
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