Honesty with ourselves & others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way.
Interpretation
Being honest leads to clarity and sobriety, while tolerance helps maintain it.
This quote by Bill W. emphasizes the importance of honesty in achieving personal clarity and sobriety, suggesting that recognition of one's true self is essential for recovery or personal growth. However, it also highlights that maintaining this state requires continuous tolerance, both for oneself and for others, indicating that patience and understanding are crucial in the journey towards a healthier mindset.
In practice
During a support group meeting, a member could say this quote to emphasize the importance of honesty in recovery.
It must never be forgotten that the purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is to sober up alcoholics. There is no religious or spiritual requirement for membership. No demands are made on anyone. An experience is offered which members may accept or reject. That is up to them.
Almost without exception alcoholics are tortured by loneliness.
No personal calamity is so crushing that something true and great can't be made of it
I believe in order that I may understand.
Meditation gives you the wherewithal to pause, observe how easily the mind can exaggerate the severity of a setback, and resist getting drawn into the abyss.
Nobody ever thanks you for saving them from the disease they didn't know they were going to get.
Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. Once you have determined the spiritual principles you wish to exemplify, abide by these rules as if they were laws, as if it were indeed sinful to compromise them. Don't mind if others don't share your convictions. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer.
It is his capacity for self-improvement and self-redemption which most distinguishes man from the mere brute.
Ironically, in today's marketplace successful nonfiction has to be unbelievable, while successful fiction must be believable.
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