Copyright Notice
As Bill Sees It is copyright © Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS). All rights reserved. The passages shown below are presented as brief illustrative excerpts under fair use for educational and non-commercial purposes only. Recovery Speakers does not claim any rights to this work. We encourage you to purchase the book directly from AAWS.
About the Book
As Bill Sees It is one of Bill Wilson’s most beloved and widely read works, compiled from his letters, talks, and writings spanning more than three decades. Published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., it contains 332 short reflections — one for each day of the year plus extras — organized around themes of recovery, spirituality, service, and the Twelve Steps.
The book draws from Bill’s correspondence with individual members, his Grapevine articles, Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and A.A. Comes of Age. It offers an intimate window into how Bill thought about sobriety, humility, faith, and the principles that shaped the fellowship he co-founded.
For members doing step work, sponsoring others, or simply seeking Bill’s perspective on a particular challenge, As Bill Sees It remains an indispensable companion. Passages from this book are searchable through Ask Bill W. on our homepage, where you can find what Bill had to say on specific topics drawn from his recorded talks and writings.
A Few Passages
The following brief excerpts are offered as a sample of the book’s character and range. They represent a small fraction of the 332 reflections contained in the full work.
In God’s Hands
“When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned.”
Maintenance and Growth
“If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison.”
Progress, Not Perfection
“Day by day, we try to move a little toward God’s perfection. So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon that lights our way.”
The Serenity Prayer
“God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Group and Community
“It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not.”
Alike When the Chips Are Down
“In the beginning, it was four whole years before A.A. brought permanent sobriety to even one alcoholic woman. Like the ‘high bottoms,’ the women said they were different; A.A. couldn’t be for them. But when the chips were down, when they had taken the Steps, they found that the essentials of recovery were the same for them as for anyone else.”
To read all 332 reflections, we encourage you to obtain the book directly from A.A. World Services.
Purchase from AAWS →
As Bill Sees It — ISBN 0-916856-03-8 — © A.A. World Services, Inc.
