TRUTH

 

Definition of Truth:
A fact or belief that is accepted as true.

Synonyms of Truth:
Fact, verity, certainty, certitude, etc

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs.
Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail.
We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

Improve your memory — tell the truth. –Meiji Stewart

7 Spiritual Truths
1. Be open to the magnificent.
2. Learn what you are here to learn.
3. Be present for yourself and others.
4. Bring passion to all that you do.
5. Give love abundantly.
6. Revere life.
7. Embrace connection. –Tiny Buddha

You can’t just sit down and talk about the truth. It doesn’t work that way. You have to live it and be part of it and you might get to know it. –Rolling Thunder

The glow of early recovery begins to fade, and we start to see the human side of our NA friends and sponsor. Our fellow addicts are neither completely bad nor completely good.

After all, if they were perfect, they wouldn’t need this program. Our friends and sponsor are ordinary recovering addicts, just like we are. We can relate to their ordinary recovery experience and use it in our own program. –Just For Today | More…

There is a true place in life for each of us, upon the attainment of which we shall be completely happy, and perfectly secure. One the other hand, until we do find our true place we never shall be either happy or secure, no matter what other things we may have. –Sermon on the Mount p.130 | More…

Improve your memory – tell the truth. My memory has improved because today I tell the truth —Wisdom of the Rooms

Truth is often associated primarily with the larger issues and set alongside such ideals as Justice, Freedom, and Democracy. Truths such as courage, tolerance, affection, honesty, and love will ring out clearly until the end of time. –Answers in the Heart/P. Williamson & S. Kiser | More…

Impatience is certainly not a virtue. When we came into this recovery program, we may have heard that there would always be enough time to accomplish what God intends us to do.

Those of us who looked back at failed attempts doubted the truth of this wisdom. But we are coming to believe it now. In time, all the simple messages seem to come true. –A Woman’s Spirit/Karen Casey | More…

You can’t just sit down and talk about the truth. It doesn’t work that way. You have to live it and be part of it and you might get to know it. — Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE –Elder’s Meditations | More…

Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be “unrung”, the annoying problem
with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you cannot “unlearn” it. –Winston Churchill
The truth shall set you free. This is the truth. When we speak the Truth, we do not need to be defensive. Truth needs no defense.

When we speak the Truth, we do not need to attack because Truth cannot be attacked. It is so easy to want to manipulate or to be deceitful or dishonest. My head tells me I can get away with doing these things, after all everybody does it. —Elders Meditations

The effort to escape from truth is the father of anxiety. –Unknown

The glow of early recovery begins to fade, and we start to see the human side of our NA friends and sponsor. Our fellow addicts are neither completely bad nor completely good.

After all, if they were perfect, they wouldn’t need this program. Our friends and sponsor are ordinary recovering addicts, just like we are. We can relate to their ordinary recovery experience and use it in our own program. –Just For Today | More…
The Great Spirit had given us certain values to live by. If we learn to think in harmony with these values such as respect, love, patience, tolerance, commitment, trust, etc., we cannot get off track.

No matter what we do, we will always be in harmony. For example, if we are respectful, then we will respect the earth, our children, our women, our men and ourselves. Indian values help us walk under the guidance of the Great Spirit. –Elders Meditations | More…

Working the Twelve Steps helps us learn the truth. In Step Four, we learn the truth about ourselves.

We learn even more about ourselves by doing Steps Eight and Ten. When we admit the truth about ourselves, things come into focus. Big changes happen. —Keep It Simple

The punishment of the liar is that he cannot believe anyone else, wrote one shrewd philosopher. This is another way of saying that we reap what we sow, or that we tend to judge others by our own actions.

When we decide to be completely truthful, we are not immediately given the ability to discern whether others are lying or not. It’s more important for us to realize that others’ lies don’t have the power to hurt us permanently if we persevere in the program. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B. | More…

To the extent that you entertain lies and deceit, you are held prisoner in a world cut off from reality. The truth you hide from yourself, prevents you from growth and fulfilment.

The truth you hide from others, keeps you distantly apart. Hiding in the shadows of falsehood, makes it impossible to move forward.

That the truth is moral and ethical, is no secret. Yet truth is also practical, efficient, and effective in every worthy pursuit, something well known by those who enjoy lasting success. —Ralph Marston

Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now, always, and indeed then most truly when it seems most unsuitable to actual circumstances. —Albert Schweitzer

We cannot hide the true meaning and the true spirit behind our voice and words.
The true meaning is always understood. The voice is heard in the physical world, but the meaning is transmitted in the spiritual world.

If our voice says one thing but the heart is saying something else, it’s the something else that is heard. It is said that the truth will set you free. Reaching the truth means your voice and your words will be in alignment with the heart. –Elders | More…
The only way one can keep true to God is by being ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. It is not service that matters, but intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This will give our life the attitude of child-wonder which He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious (that is, using religion as a higher kind of culture) and be spiritually real. –My Utmost for His Highest | More…

We must each discover our own truth. There is no easy way to break through and find our truth. But we can and will, if we want to. Each of us has our own share of truth, waiting to reveal itself to us. Each of us has our own share of the light, waiting for us to stand in it, to claim it as ours. A firm belief that each person has truth available – appropriate to each situation – is what will help. –The Language of Letting Go | More…

We may have an inner drive to be right – and even to prove we are right. We should always remember that our honor requires being honest, not being right. We all have a right to be wrong part of the time  and even to prove we are right. We should always remember that our honor requires being honest, not being right. We all have a right to be wrong part of the time. –Touchstones | More…
The goal isn’t to do a successful inventory. The goal is to dig to the deepest levels of self-honesty. The Fourth Sep is the hardest one for many newcomers in the program. It is so difficult, in fact, that some of us still waiting to do it are no longer newcomers. It’s so hard to be honest with ourselves, that some of us never accomplish it. The consequences of this are a low self-esteem, which draws us toward failure. Help is available, though. God, who knows all about us, is willing to help us get honest with ourselves. We only need to ask. Until we become honest with ourselves, we can’t grow spiritually. –In God’s Care/Karen Casey

The most precious gift we can give those closest to us is honesty. When we discover that others accept us as we are, we can accept and love ourselves. To know oneself is to know a person of value. –Today’s Gift | More…

Honesty is the backbone of our recovery program. Honesty has made us wise. We aren’t sneaking drinks anymore. People who didn’t trust us now depend on our honesty. Self-honesty is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. –Keep It Simple

The Great Spirit had given us certain values to live by. If we learn to think in harmony with these values such as respect, love, patience, tolerance, commitment, trust, etc., we cannot get off track. No matter what we do, we will always be in harmony. For example, if we are respectful, then we will respect the earth, our children, our women, our men and ourselves. Indian values help us walk under the guidance of the Great Spirit. –Elders Meditations | More…

The truth shall set you free. This is the truth. When we speak the Truth, we do not need to be defensive. Truth needs no defense. When we speak the Truth, we do not need to attack because Truth cannot be attacked. It is so easy to want to manipulate or to be deceitful or dishonest. My head tells me I can get away with doing these things, after all everybody does it. –Elders Neditations | More…

The most precious gift we can give those closest to us is honesty. When we conquer our fear of letting others in, we are able to see ourselves honestly. To know oneself is to know a person of value. –Today’s Gift | More…

Everything we know is subject to revision, especially what we know about the truth. The truth becomes purer and simpler each time we encounter it. And just as the steps work in our lives every day—if we allow them—our understanding of the truth may change each day as we grow. –Just For Today | More…

The truth shall set you free. We cannot be free if we are dishonest nor can we live a balanced life if we are dishonest. As we grow, we need to start taking stands. All warriors take stands. The warrior’s belief is constantly being aligned to truth. The warrior will always know where he/she stands. –Elders Meditations

The goal isn’t to do a successful inventory. The goal is to dig to the deepest levels of self-honesty. The Fourth Sep is the hardest one for many newcomers in the program. It is so difficult, in fact, that some of us still waiting to do it are no longer newcomers. It’s so hard to be honest with ourselves, that some of us never accomplish it. The consequences of this are a low sef-esteem, which draws us toward failure. Help is available, though. God, who knows all about us, is willing to help us get honest with ourselves. We only need to ask. Until we become honest with ourselves, we can’t grow spiritually. –In God’s Care.

We may have an inner drive to be right – and even to prove we are right. We should always remember that our honor requires being honest, not being right. We all have a right to be wrong part of the time. –Touchstones | More...

To the extent that you entertain lies and deceit, you are held prisoner in a world cut off from reality. The truth you hide from yourself, prevents you from growth and fulfillment. The truth you hide from others, keeps you distantly apart. Hiding in the shadows of falsehood, makes it impossible to move forward. That the truth is moral and ethical, is no secret. Yet truth is also practical, efficient, and effective in every worthy pursuit, something well known by those who enjoy lasting success. –Ralph Marston